Tendrils
by EscapingWriter3746
Summary: Will had a secret and pain in his past. Nico was the same. Both didn't want anyone to know. But both needed someone to tell.
1. Prologue

Hey, guys! This is my very first fanfiction that I've ever written. Hope you enjoy! **Warning: This story does depict a violent scene that includes blood. If you don't feel comfortable with this, there will be a warning. **

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Chapter One: Prologue

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"Mom," a 10-year-old Will Solace croaked. "It happened again."

Tears were streaming down the boy's face. This usually sun-shiny face was downcast. His sky-blue eyes now looked like a pool of sadness, and his mother, Naomi, an underpaid waitress who worked long hours, knew exactly why.

"Come here, baby. Mommy's got you," Naomi comforted.

Will crawled into the bed where his mother slept. He looked up at her with swollen, red eyes.

"It's not fair."

"I know."

They stayed like that for who knows how long, but they woke up to the rays of the morning sun. Will had woken up with the sun for as long as he can remember, a trait he inherited from this father. His father was a sore topic. He had abandoned his mother, breaking her hear after he heard she was pregnant. His mother was forced to work as a pregnant employee at their local café to pay her bills. The day Will was into the world, she had only taken a maternity leave for a week before returning to work. She had bills to pay and another mouth to feed. Will had grown up in that café with the owner and employees growing to be a family. They were a broken family but still one.

The other employees in the café were Sophia Blackstone and Martha Markowitz. They were like second mothers to Will. They each had one child who were like brother and sister. Lou Ellen Blackstone and Cecil Markowitz were brought into his family of two's life when Naomi had met them at work. Each had their own story.

Martha was- and is- happily married to Hermes Markowitz. They had had Cecil together, but they were tight on money. Both had two jobs. At day, Martha was working as a teacher in a public school, and at night, she was a waitress. Cecil was the oldest of the group with two months on Will and three on Lou.

Sophia was married to Jake Blackstone, a local firefighter. He was Sophia's world, and she was his. They were a newlywed couple being only married for a year and in their late 20s. When there was a fire, Jake rushed in, having no regard for his own safety and annoying/worrying Sophia non-stop. Maybe that was his fatal flaw. He had into a burning building to save a small baby girl, only a month old. Her wails powered Jake till his last breath only hours after saving her. The orphanage had set fire. She was found out to be named Lou Ellen. She was alone until Sophia adopted her. Lou was Jake's last gift to the world. Sophia would protect and love her as her own. Lou knew about her past, but she looked to the present. After all, she was a gift. Lou was the youngest of the group by only a couple months. She would always be protected.

All three kids and moms were a family. They would stick together no matter what. If Will was reminded of the heartache he went through seeing his mom still heartbroken about his father, Lou and Cecil would be there. If Lou remembered glimpses of the fire, Cecil and Will were there. If Cecil wanted a parent to tuck him in, but they were at work, Will and Lou were there. They were a trio. A triangle of friendship.

Shaking out of his reverie, Will looked to his side. His mother was always an early riser, waking up before the sun even rose from its slumber. Her frame had been indented in the mattress. Will walked down the stairs, avoiding the twelfth one, knowing it creaks. He walked to the dining table, plopping himself down in his chair.

"Morning, William," his mom said, a smile plastered on her face. His mom never called him Will for some odd reason. She only did so when angry. He found that quite amusing as most parents used the child's full name when mad.

"Morning, Mom."

A few moments passed with only the sound of the eggs being fried, and his mother flipping them.

"Did it come back?"

"No." It never came back with his mom. His mom was like the sun, only shedding love, warmth, and comfort in the darkest of times.

It was horrid. Every once in a while, Will had a dream. No. Not a dream. Dreams were an escape from reality. They were an escape from worries, making them seem thousands of miles away. Dreams were beautiful. This…this was not a dream. This was a nightmare. A nightmare that made Will know he was different. He woke up the same way every time. It first happened when he was five. He woke up with light coming out of him. Light tendrils. They had bounced around his room. It sounded beautiful. Magical even. It was. It was just Will was too terrified of what happened moments ago to care. His mom didn't know what to make of the light. They decided to let it be. They never found out why it happened.

He always woke up in a cold sweat. He looked around at the scene around him. The light was there. The fear was imminent. The light always went away after a while. What were they? The small family of two didn't have a clue **(A/N haha that rhymed… Ok on with the story)**. He never told his other family. His family not by blood but love. His mother respected his wishes.

The nightmare started with Will waking up. He never knew he was going to have the dream. It was a normal day. He woke up along with the sun. He went downstairs, avoiding the twelfth step. He plopped himself down at the table in his chair. Then, chaos struck. Instead of his mother preparing breakfast, it was his dad staring at him with his sky-blue eyes. Will was a spitting image of his father. They had the same curly blonde hair, sky-blue eyes, build, and complexion. Will just had his mother's smile and heart.

Will's dad, Apollo, looked at him and said the same thing each time, "Will. You've grown so much."

Every time after that within the next three seconds, monsters invaded his nightmare. Not just the scary ones you ask your parents to look under the bed for but his monsters. His mom crying in her room when she thought Will was in his. Lou Ellen and Cecil leaving him. Being alone with no light.

Then he woke up after his father's voice echoed with the monsters. He was always saying, "Don't forget me." After he wakes up, he wakes to the light wisps. Then, the cycle repeats.

He shook his head again, getting rid of remembering. _Remembering hurts too much. _He looked at the clock. He always struggled with them because, one, he didn't have the patience because of his ADHD, and two, the numbers moved around because of his dyslexia. Finally, he got it. 6:03 am. The sun had woken just thirty minutes before into the New York sky. School started in two hours.

His mom came to the table, laying his scrambled eggs on his plate with bacon. He finished eating at what he thought to be 6:21am. He went to do his daily routine.

* * *

At 7:06am, he was ready for his first day at his new school. Lou Ellen and Cecil had transferred schools as well after the three mothers decided to rent a bigger apartment and move in together. Will and Naomi were in the midst of packing. Soon, they would say good-bye to their small, slightly broken apartment to welcome a bigger one. Boxes of clothes and the small amount of dismantled furniture were all neatly in a corner. Soon, the children and mothers would be living together, happy. Will was overjoyed.

He passed time by talking with his mom as she got ready for work, putting on her apron, makeup, and name tag. Soon, it was time to go. The trio of kids all walked to school together, agreeing to meet at Will's place since it was the closest. He went down, a nervous wreck. He was sleep-deprived on his first day of a new school because of a freaky nightmare that came. That's exactly how he wanted to start the year.

Braving into the world, he opened the door leading out the of apartment, going down the stairs, and heading to his friends. Cecil nodded at him.

"Hey."

Lou Ellen was bouncing on the balls of her feet.

"Oh my gosh. I'm so nervous. I could barely sleep last night. I was tossing and turning basically all night. I'm not that tired though. Weird, huh? I wonder what our class is like. Is 4th grade tough? I hope not. What do you guys think? Well, I hope they don't think we-"

"Lou. Everything is going to be fine," Will said. "Calm down. Deep breaths. In and out."

She took a deep breath, letting it out slowly.

"Thanks, Will."

"Thank God, Will. She would not stop blubbering the way here. She was all nervous. Totally weird," Cecil groaned, smirking.

Lou smacked him.

"Ouch!"

"At least he helped me unlike some people, Cecil."

Will laughed. Walking to school with his friends, he realized something. He wasn't going to have a horrible day- scratch that, year- with two best friends to keep him busy. He was going to be okay. Maybe this school year wouldn't be too bad.

* * *

Nico quivered in fear. His 10-year-old body couldn't handle this. His mom said to hide, so he did. His dad was nowhere to be found. Where was Bianca? Should he go look for her? No. Stay here. The man yelled again.

"Come out, come out, wherever you are, little boy."

He shoved his fist in his mouth to keep from making a sound. He heard a rustle to his right. Bianca?

Turns out, he had heard to.

"Who is it? The little girl? Or maybe the boy?"

He sauntered over about ten feet to Nico's right.

"The girl."

He grabbed her, pointing the gun at her. His partner in the crime said two words that broke Nico over and over again.

"Kill her."

**This is where blood comes. Please skip to the next bold text if you don't want to read it.**

"No, please. I want to live," Bianca cried. "I want to live with my brother."

"Maybe in the next life."

A boom echoed through the room. It shook Nico out of his trance. Red appeared in Bianca's white T-shirt. It slowly went to her jeans, soaking them. He shot at her heart. She's gonna die. Rage flooded him. Only seeing red, he had begun to stand up. He couldn't take it anymore. He had to fight back.

"NO! HOW COULD YOU?! I LOVE HER! SHE'S MY SISTER!" He screamed in fury. Pure black tendrils came out of his body. They wrapped around the criminals. The murderers. They slowly squeezed them. Nico had a sadistic grin on his face as they begged for their lives.

"P-please. We-e'r-re sorr-y," they choked.

"I don't forgive you." With those words uttered, the tendril's force increased tenfold. Soon, they were dead. Reality hit Nico. Nico was a murderer. Nico had no sister. He started to run to her.

**Blood scene ends. Summary: Bianca, Nico's sister, dies at the hands of the two criminals. Nico then uses tendrils of darkness to kill them. He then rushes to Bianca.**

"Bi-ian-nca? Wake up! Please!"

"_Mio dolce fratello, _move on. Don't get stuck. _Ti amo." _Her eyes fluttered shut. Her Italian words rang through his head. Nico didn't want to think about anything else. He was numb. He knew it would all sink in later like a wave of emotion crashing down on him. He screamed. His father rushed in, tears streaming down his face as well.

"Nico. Mama is dead. Maria is dead," his father, Hades, said tearfully.

The wave crashed.

"Papa, Bianca. Bianca. She's gone."

"Nico, we'll be okay. It'll be okay."

* * *

The police arrived at the scene of the crime. Nico and Hades were stone-faced, showing no emotion. The family of four lost half its members that day. The di Angelo family had broken.

One day passed, and Nico was still stone-faced. He made a promise that day. He promised to never cry unless something to the extreme of this happened again, and that was never going to happen. Hades had thrown himself into his job. He had a funeral and jewel business. Weird two things to go together, right? The jewel shop had been run by Maria, Nico's mother. Nico's family had good money throughout his life with being able to afford to live comfortably. After the incident, the di Angelo business took off because of the time Nico's dad spent at work. They didn't have a funeral for Bianca and Maria. Both knew they couldn't. It hurt too much. They were also thinking of moving to America in a few years, but that was a long while from then.

Nico, only ten, had to learn to take care of himself. He learnt fast. After his emotional scars were not visible to the outside, he was sent back to school where the happy, go-lucky kid was gone, and the angry, broken kid was present. He never took his mask off after that. It concealed the broken kid inside of himself. He never wanted people to know the truth.

* * *

Hades and Nico were never the same again. Hades drowned himself in work, trying to distract himself from the reality of what happened: Maria and Bianca di Angelo were never coming back, and there was nothing he could do. Nico had accepted it, but he didn't take it well. He was an unstable kid in school, constantly getting into fights even though he was only ten. He created the reputation as the "Bad Kid" in school. Everyone was scared of him. If only they knew what lied inside.

Nico adapted to being the outsider. He had to keep up his "street cred," as he called it, by making himself the bad guy. He masked his true, heartbroken self with being alone. He was always alone now. His father was working, and he never made friends. He still remembered it. The day everything changed.

Ever since the day when he killed the two murderers, Nico kept it to himself. He never told of his powers. He didn't know why he had it. His dad didn't know about it. How did he have it?

Nico spent some nights in his room just letting the darkness come out once again. He loved the feeling. He felt free whenever he did it. He felt almost happy. Almost. He didn't know when he would be happy once more. His heart and head didn't tell him anytime soon, so he suffered in silence, letting his power out to calm him. He did it when the waves were crashing so badly, it felt like a tsunami in his soul.

The tendrils always tried to sneak out the window, going into Italy. He couldn't let them. What even were they? He sighed. In the two weeks since Bianca and Mama's death, he learned to control these powers he had. He learned how to pull the darkness back in and let it out. Yet, words still rang in his head, keeping him up to the early hours of morning.

_Ti amo._

* * *

Both wondered that day. Will while walking down the street with his friends, and Nico laying in his bed with wisps of darkness surrounding him. _Did anyone have the same power as him?_

* * *

So? What'd you guys think? I do have a storyline prepared, but all reviews are welcome (except flames)! I hope you enjoyed. Please review what you think or any ideas you have! Stay golden!

Ti amo- I love you

Mio dolce fratello- My sweet little brother

-EscapingWriter


	2. Moving and Meeting

Hey guys! Here's another chapter. Hope you enjoy! **Warning: There is a mention of therapy in this chapter. If you are uncomfortable, there will be a bold warning.**

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Chapter 2- Moving and Meeting

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_6 years later_

"Lou! I swear to the Gods. If you don't get out of the bathroom in the next ten minutes, I'm gonna lose it."

Lou opened the door. She smirked.

"Do you want me to come out nude, Cecil?"

She wiggled her eyebrows. Cecil blushed.

"J-just hurry up, Lou."

Will came out of his room, already dressed and prepared for school. He always woke up extremely early even after six years.

"Are you guys still not ready? School starts in an hour!"

Cecil nodded towards the door.

"Lou has been in there for like forty minutes."

The door opened. She came out in a black shirt with a logo Will never bothered to ask about and grey pants. Her dark brown hair was in a braid. Her eyes were a bright green, always changing what type with emotions. Her skin was a dark tan, but no one ever knew what ethnicity was since her parents were unknown.

"I'm done! Cecil, get your butt in there. Do you want to be late for school?"

Cecil glared at her. He went in and came out in ten minutes. He came out in a red T-shirt and black pants. His brown-red hair was still a bit wet, and water was about to get into his caramel eyes. He grinned at Lou. She shook her head.

"I will never know how men take so little time in there…" Will looked at both of them.

"You guys ready for our first friggin day of sophomore year?"

"Hell yeah!" Cecil said. Lou rolled her eyes.

"You both are idiots."

* * *

All three of them walked toward their school. They had been going here ever since 4th grade. Will still remembered that day. He was sure he was going to have a crappy day because of the nightmare, but he had his friends. They both comforted him. That didn't excuse his emotions towards going to a new school, however. He was so nervous when he walked into that building. He was trying so hard not to let the tendrils out that day. He smiled at the memory.

_Will looked at the school before him. It was new and a change. New was scary for Will. Change was, too. Will looked to his sides. Cecil and Lou looked exactly like him. _

_ "Should we go in?"_

_ Cecil rolled his eyes. _

_ "No, Lou. We should stand out here for the rest of our lives."_

_ Lou blushed but still lightly smacked Cecil for the second time that day. Together, all three of them walked in to their new school._

Will smiled at his moment of _déjà vu. It was so long ago but seemed like it was only yesterday. He was terrified. A shy, small boy terrified of change and the world before him. He remembered meeting his teachers and classmates as he walked into his advisory for the rest of the year with Lou and Cecil. Some had left over the years, but most had stayed. Some had come to their school. He remembered his first classmates he met that soon became friends. _

_Will looked around his homeroom. Lou and Cecil were with him. They were all huddled around one desk, too scared to talk- or even look for that matter- at any other kids._

_ "Hey."_

_ The three turned around to look at the voice behind them. He had messy black hair that looked to never be tamed. His complexion was tan, like he was outside most of his life. His eyes were piercing, looking like a deep sea-green. He wore a blue shirt and jeans. _

_ "Welcome to Half-Blood Elementary! Mr. Chiron, the principal, told us to take care of you guys on the first day."_

_ The three looked around. Will managed to ask the question on their minds._

_ "Us?"_

_ "Yeah. Me and Annabeth were assigned to you people."_

_ A voice behind them sighed. _

"_You Seaweed Brain. It's 'Annabeth and I.'"_

_The three looked at her. She walked forward, sticking out her hand. The girl had golden princess curls, but something about her said not to mess with her. Maybe, it was her eyes. She had grey eyes that looked like the raging skies during a storm. She would have had a California look to her if it weren't for her eyes. She wore a simple white T-shirt and black leggings. _

_Lou Ellen stuck out her hand, shaking after a few seconds. Annabeth looked up at the three. It almost looked like she was scanning the kid's souls. _

"_What are your names?"_

"_I'm Lou Ellen, but you can call me Lou. The blonde is Will, and the annoying one is Cecil."_

"_Hey!"_

_The four laughed at Cecil. Percy looked at the three. _

"_Wanna come and meet our other friends?"_

"_Sure."_

Will smiled. He met Percy and Annabeth's friends, and boy, did they have character. There was Thalia. She was a punk rock kid with a tattoo and piercings (the group learned not to ask). She had a lighter tan skin, black hair with a blue highlight, and electric blue eyes, like her brother, Jason. Jason had blonde hair, peach skin, and a scar on his lip from a stapler he tried to eat. Jason and Thalia's father were Zeus, who owned an airplane company. Jason and Thalia were twins, but Thalia was older by forty minutes. Jason would always be the baby. Percy's dad, Poseidon, was Zeus's brother. He owned an "everything water" company. He sold boats, bottled water, water guns, and more. They had another brother who lived in Europe that not many knew about.

There was also Piper. Piper had choppy brown hair, kaleidoscope eyes that would never stop changing color, and being from Native American descent, brown-tan skin. Will also met Leo, a "fiery little elf" (quote from Thalia). He never stopped moving. He had brown, curly hair, brown eyes, and being from a Spanish descent, caramel skin. Hazel was an African-American girl with golden eyes. She was so pure and innocent; she was deemed the baby of the group. Hazel had black, frizzy hair, and always was with another boy. Frank was a Chinese boy who loved animals. He had black hair and was always cheery.

Remembering his friends always brought a smile to his face. Although he had a rough past with his father and another memory he refused to acknowledge, he remembered to think of the good things in his life. The good outweighed the bad.

A hand shook in front of his face.

"Helloooo. Earth to Will."

He shook his head out of his trance.

"What?"

Lou laughed.

"You've been staring at the board for the past five minutes, and Cecil, Thalia, Annabeth, Percy, and I were worrying about you."

"Oh," Will said, smartly. "Wait… Annabeth?! Percy?! Thalia?! Oh my gods! Hi, guys! How was your summer? I'm such an idiot. Why didn't you guys tell me?"

He rose out of his chair and hugged each one of them. The group all laughed and sat down. The teacher came up to the class.

"Hello, class. I'm Mr. Dionysus, but don't call me that. That's my father. Call me Mr. D. I will be your advisor and AP English teacher. Now, we have a new student today. He came from…Well… Why don't I let him come up and say? Nico, you're up."

A black-haired boy with a pale olive complexion stood up. He had black obsidian eyes that Will became entranced in. He wore all black. Walking up to the front of the class, his hands were in his pockets. He glanced around the room, looking at Will for a brief second. Will swore his heart stopped a bit. Beside him, Percy and Thalia gasped.

Nico cleared his throat.

"I'm…uh… Nico di Angelo. I came from Italy. That's about it."

Mr. D motioned that Nico could sit down, and he quickly rushed to his seat. Mr. D stood up and gave the mandatory speech the teachers have to give. Don't cheat, no doing drugs and/or alcohol, blah, blah, blah. Will glanced at Nico for a second, seeing the boy was not paying attention and just doodling in his book.

The bell rang, and everyone filed out. Before he could leave, Mr. D pulled him aside.

"Will. Nico is new to the school- and country, for that matter. Mr. Chiron wants you to introduce him to the school and help him make some friends. Could you do that?"

Will smiled.

"It would be my pleasure."

* * *

Nico had his locker open, putting books inside. A voice came from his right.

"Hi! I'm Will Solace!"

Nico looked startled. Why did _he_ want to talk to _him_? He was a looker, no doubt, with his golden hair, blue eyes, sharp jaw-line, peach complexion, how he always had a smile on his lips, his li- WOAH! What in the heck was Nico thinking? He barely knew this boy.

"I'm Nico."

Will laughed.

"I know I heard in class."

Nico smiled a bit when he heard Will's laugh.

"I just wanted to welcome you to the school. I didn't even know you were from Italy! You barely have an accent. I speak a bit of Italian, but I'm not too good. I bet you're fluent. You're probably not taking Italian then. I'm not either. What're you taking? Where you born in Italy? Why'd you move anyway? Sorry. That's intrusive. You don't have to answer that. Dang it. I'm rambling. I'll stop now."

Nico blinked in surprise. Why was he being so nice?

"I'm taking Greek and Latin. I was born in Italy. I moved for being with family, you could say."

"That's cool. I know we just met, but would you want to meet some friends? You don't want to be lonely in high school. It's hard enough as it is."

Again, Nico was surprised. His cousins were supposed to go to this school. Maybe this Will boy knew them.

"S-sure. Why not?"

"Good. C'mon, Nico."

* * *

Nico found himself in the hallway being introduced to some of Will's friends.

"This one's Lou Ellen. You can all her Lou, though. The one who's annoying her is Cecil- oh shush, Cecil. You know it's true. This one is Annabeth. Hey, where'd Percy and Thalia go?"

Nico tensed. Those where his cousins. He hasn't seen them for years. The last time was… was before she died. Before sadness struck. He loved his cousins and seeing them. Then, their dads fought, not letting them see each other. Well, to be more specific. Hades fought with his brothers.

_Nico, Percy, Thalia, and Jason were all playing in the field. They were in Italy. Every summer, they would trade going from America to Italy. The four were inseparable until that day. They all walked back into the house with Bianca at the table, reading. She was older than them by two years, but she still played sometimes. _

_ When they walked in, they heard yelling starting from upstairs. Bianca turned her head to us._

_ "Wanna try to hear?" _

_ The four shook their heads. _

_ "Someone get the cups."_

* * *

_ They had the perfect position and pressed their cups against the wall. They heard Hades yelling first._

_ "You _idiotas! _I will not go to his trial! You two should be the ones to understand me! He killed her! He killed our mom."_

_ Hades voice had gone quiet on the word, "mom."_

_ "We are witnesses, Hades. We have to go," Poseidon said soothingly. He was always the most level-headed brother. Almost nothing got him to yell. "We can send him to prison."_

_ All five kids knew what they were talking about. Their grandfather, Kronos, was a bad man. He run an illegal business that led the rest of his family down a dark path. One day, their mother, Rhea, stood up to him, saying that he should lead a good life. Kronos didn't like that. He shot their mother with the boys, only teenagers, watching. In their adulthood, he was caught, and his trial was coming up. _

_ "Hades! WE MUST BRING JUSTICE TO OUR MOTHER'S NAME!" Zeus roared. He had the worst temper._

_ "I WILL NOT GO! The memories…they will haunt me forever. I can't. It hurts too much."_

_ "Hades," Poseidon started. "I stick by my decision. I will go to the trial to bring Kronos down. He must be stopped. I'm sorry. I…I will try to understand you one day, but it's too soon. I…I will leave in the morning with Percy. I might not understand many things about you, little brother, but I understand one. I will always love you. I hope you know why I have to go to the trial."_

_ They heard footsteps, Poseidon's arms clapping someone's back (they gathered it was Hades), and footsteps to the door. That's when they decided to run to the kitchen. They got there, and Poseidon arrived shortly after. _

_ "Percy, pack your things. We will leave tomorrow."_

_ Percy sputtered. _

_ "Dad! I wanna stay with Nico and Thalia and Jason and Bianca. Let me stay!"_

_ "I'm sorry, Percy. You know I am. I want to say something to each of you."_

_ Poseidon walked to Jason, whispered something in his ear that made him giggle. Jason hugged Poseidon's leg, making him chuckle. He then went to Thalia, whispering another thing. Thalia smiled, nodding. Nico heard her whisper back while hugging him, _

_ "You, too, Uncle P."_

_ Poseidon walked to Bianca. He whispered in her ear. Bianca laughed. He hugged her and went to Nico._

_ Poseidon whispered to him, "I love you, Nico. Don't ever think I don't. I know you guys heard us fighting. Don't worry, it's gonna be okay. Hopefully, I'm still your favorite uncle."_

_ Nico laughed. He whispered back, _

_ "Love you, too, Uncle P."_

_ Poseidon smiled._

* * *

_ About 5 minutes after, Zeus stormed out of the room. _

_ "Jason, Thalia, pack your things. We are going back to America tomorrow morning. Be ready." His eyes softened, which was VERY rare. "Nico, Bianca, I'll miss you. Hopefully we see you again soon."_

* * *

_ In the morning, the three brothers never spoke. They let the children say their goodbyes, which was always tearful. After they waved and yelled goodbyes from their respective cars until Nico couldn't see them anymore, Nico never thought to think that the next time he would see them would be seven years later. _

He was shaken out of his flashback by Percy arms around him. Nico froze before he realized what was happening. He then wrapped his arms around Percy. Percy let out a sob. Nico ran his hand up and down his back.

"It's okay, Percy."

"Nico," Percy said, voice cracking. "I've missed you so much."

Thalia was next. She stared at Nico. She then lost her resolve and rushed forward to tackle Nico in a hug.

**Warning: The mention is in the next paragraph. Please skip to the next bold text to not read it**

"Nico. I'm so glad you're back. Jason will probably have the same reaction." In a lower whisper, she said, "Nico. I know this is a sore topic. We know about what happened. We were heartbroken. I'm talking months of therapy. We were messed up for a while, man. Jason, Percy, and I will always be here. We are now your rock. We will stick by you. I know we can't replace what you had, but we can sure try to always be there. We will be your cousin, best friend, and rock."

**End of mention. Summary: Thalia was telling Nico how they would always be there for Nico, and they will be Nico's best friend like before, rock, and cousin.**

Nico didn't even stiffen when he heard her tiny speech.

"And I will be all three of yours."

Will cleared his throat.

"Do…uh… you guys know each other?"

"Oh, yeah. This is Nico, Percy, Jason, and I's first cousin and best friend."

Annabeth, Will, Lou, and Cecil nodded.

"Let's go tell Jason, then," Percy offered.

* * *

When Jason saw Nico, he was shocked. After he got over it, he ran up to Nico, grabbing him into a bear hug. Nico looked happy and annoyed.

"Jason. I'm a human. I need oxygen," Nico choked out.

"Oh, sorry." He put him down. "How are you here?"

"My dad wanted to expand his business, so we moved here. For good. Our dads still haven't completely made up, but I guess they're better than before. Now, I guess I'm enrolled at Half-Blood High."

After the bell rang, signaling Student Exploration was over. Half-Blood High was more of a…different school than most. Chiron, the principal, had always loved creativity and adventure. He created a thirty-minute period where students could explore the gigantic campus. He also had cabins. Half-Blood High also had the option of boarding, which everyone in the group did. The cabins were where boarders stayed, being split up like the Greek gods. Playing along with the Greek cabins, there was also sword-fighting, archery, healing, and more. That's usually what students practiced in gym. They also had normal sports more student to participate in, as well.

Percy excelled in sword-fighting. He was also captain of the swim team. Annabeth was proficient in dagger-wielding and track. Jason was also good with a sword but also with soccer. He was captain, in fact. Piper also wielded a dagger but was also a gymnast. She did a bit of cheer, as well. Leo was amazing with making the weapons and rock-climbing. Frank was good with a bow and a fantastic football player. Hazel also great with a sword and dagger but also participated in fencing. Thalia was a spear-wielder and archer and did hand-to-hand combat. Will was the best healer in the school and very good with a bow and arrow. He was a trainer for the school. He helped the athletes train for events but also healed them if hurt. Cecil was a sprinter for the school and did some sword-fighting. Lou was in cheer with Piper but also practiced with a dagger.

They all headed to class. Will had AP Calculus next. Yes, he was smart. No, he did not share that. He walked into class. He took a random seat. He looked around and spotted Nico a few rows ahead. He grinned. Thank the gods this year he wouldn't be the only one teased for doing a grade up's work.

During class, Will knew most of the stuff the teacher was blabbing on about. He did want to be a doctor, after all. He had to study and know knowledge that should be ahead of him. He was pretty sure Nico did as well because the whole class he was drawing. Not that Will looking at him. Absolutely not. Totally not. He would not accept that he had a small crush beginning to grow in the back of his head. He barely knew him! He only met him today. No. He would not, does not, and will not have a crush on Nico di Angelo.

The bell rang, snapping Will back to reality. He left the class with one thought.

_He was so lying to himself._

* * *

So…how was that? I don't really know. Did the storyline with the cabins and stuff work? Was the writing okay? Please review any constructive criticism you have! Stay golden!

-EscapingWriter


	3. The Project

Hey, guys! How's life? I'm updating! On with the story…

* * *

Chapter 3- The Project

* * *

A couple weeks had passed since school had started, and Nico had been in America. You would think that he would be a bit homesick, right? In truth, he really wasn't. There wasn't much to miss. If you wanted to miss being alone with no friends because you were home schooled, then yeah. Nico would be homesick. He wasn't, though. He was living America. He was happy with his cousins. They were finally reunited. He was happy.

Happy. Happy was a word he did not use much after Bianca's death. Happy. He was always angry at the world, cursing and screaming why the universe hated him. He spent hours watching the darkness come out of him and the tendrils floating from his room. In America, the waves didn't crash anymore. The oceans stayed calm and serene. Happy. That was a word re-added to his dictionary in those two weeks.

He finally had his cousins. He wasn't very comfortable with the closeness of the group. Yet. Everyone had such definable personalities. He usually stuck to himself when he was with the group. Everyone was welcoming and tried their best to bring Nico out of his shell. He had grown used to having one. He had one for almost six years. He was always making progress though. In those two weeks, his shell had cracked quite a bit.

He had never smiled or laughed before. He still didn't do it much, but he still did. Before, it could take an army before Nico would crack a smile. Now, he was laughing almost every day. It still wasn't as much as his friends- wow. That was weird. They were his friends. He actually had friends- would have wanted still more. It was good enough. FOR NOW.

Nico also did well in his classes. His friends now teased him relentlessly that he was taking so many APs. **(A/N an AP class is like an honors class ish) **They also teased Will. Will was actually taking one more AP class than Nico, however. Will was in almost all his classes, too. They took the same classes, except for the one more AP that Will took. Annabeth took the most APs, but everyone knew if messed with Annabeth, you would have pain in your future. So, Nico's friends teased him and Will.

"You guys are too modest," his friends would always say. "Boast a little."

Of course, neither of them ever did. Nico- and Will- were in English. The teacher was talking about a book they had to re-visit from their past. They would be split into pairs and assigned a book. It was worth a good chunk of their grade, too. Basically, they had to find a way to "honor" the book and present in to the class. Soon enough, the teacher started calling out names.

"Jack A. and Kayla C."

"Annabeth C. and Reyna R." Reyna was one of the school's toughest people. She took no crap from anyone. Annabeth and Reyna were actually pretty good friends.

Although Nico kept on telling himself that he did not want to be partners with Will, he couldn't repress a smile a bit when he heard:

"Nico A. and Will S."

Nico looked behind him at Will. He smiled at Nico. Maybe the project wouldn't be too bad. Nico looked back at the teacher. He wouldn't lie when he thought Will was pretty handsome. Ok, who was he kidding? Will was freaking hot. His blue eyes, golden hair, sun-kissed complexion…oh gods. Nico had it bad. Don't even get started on the way Will laughed. It was like angels singing. And _his_ singing. Wow. He had only heard it once when he was humming and singing along to a song in science. Nico shook his head. No. He would not get distracted with Will Solace.

"Ok, guys. Along with the papers I passed out, your book title is printed. If you haven't read it, you better. Now, go into your pairs and start working. You have the rest of the class period to do it."

Nico looked down at his paper. _The Outsiders. _

"Hey, partner!"

Nico jumped in his seat.

"Oh. Hi, Solace."

"Have you read the book? It's okay if you didn't. We're probably gonna have to read it again. I only remember a bit of it."

"Uh, yeah. I read it. We could check it out in the school library?"

"Cool! I'll run and get a copy. Be right back!" Will got up, asked the teacher for permission, and looked back at Nico, winking. He. Winked. Freaking winked. Will friggin Solace just winked at him. He looked in the spot Will was, feeling a blush work its way up to Nico's face.

_C'mon, Nico. It was just a wink. Brainstorm ideas for the project._

* * *

Will came back a about ten minutes later. Nico looked over his list. He liked his idea. Maybe Will would, too.

"So, I got the book. I guess we could switch off wi- oh! Did you brainstorm an idea? Can I see?"

"O-ok." Nico internally cringed. _Way to sound like a love-sick schoolboy, Nico. _His negative thoughts were interrupted by Will's exclamation.

"I love it! I really loved the poem in there. Great idea thinking of that! We could do like a storyline based around it. _Nothing Gold Can Stay, _right? Great poem. Like your brainstorm, we could make the story into poetry. Oh! We could do some art to go with the poems. The teacher also had an art major, I think. She would like that. And we have to write an essay about the theme. The theme…I guess it's kinda like 'Overcoming.' Y'know?"

Nico was too entranced to even care about what Will said. Seeing him so passionate about this book was breathtaking. He noticed Will talked a lot at times. Like a lot. Like right now. Even though he was staring at Will and barely paying attention, he still knew what Will said.

"Yeah, but they didn't just overcome. They all kinda fought through the pain. Like Johnny. He fought. And Ponyboy. He fought, too. They all did. They all fought their obstacles. They were all heroes."

Will gasped.

"That's it. The theme. The theme is 'Heroes.'"

Nico smiled.

"I guess it is."

After their conversation, the two decided they should divide and conquer. Will would get started on the poems, and Nico would tackle the essay. They would do the art together. The project was due in two weeks.

An hour passed in the blink of an eye. It only seemed like fifteen minutes. Will also had a surprised look on his face when he heard the bell ring. They both started to pack their things. Nico debated on waiting for Will but decided against it. They barely knew each other. He walked out the door. He suddenly heard a voice next to him.

"Hey, Nico. Wanna work on the project outside of school? It's probably gonna take longer than the class periods Mrs. Curtis **(A/N some will get this, some will not)** is giving us. Maybe we could go to the library. Or my house. I mean, you don't even have to agree if you want. It's not a bi-"

"You sure do talk a lot," Nico interrupted. Will blushed.

"Sorry. I'll stop."

"Don't. It's cute." Nico's heart stopped for a second. Did he just say that out loud? Gods, no. Oh, please. Nico glanced at Will. Will was too busy becoming a tomato to even notice Nico was doing the same. Thankfully, Nico's blush died down after a few seconds. He looked at Will.

"Yeah. When do you want to meet up?"

"Uh…er… Anytime is good. Where?"

"Can we do your house after school?"

"Yeah. Sure, Nico. Um. See you in History later?"

"Yeah. Bye, Solace."

"Bye, Nico." He watched Will walk off down the hallway. Nico didn't know this, but when Nico said Will was cute (Ok, not exactly, but that's what he heard!), he almost had a heart attack. Nico was going to kill him one day. Nico walked off the other way because now, it was time to get sorted into a cabin (he was staying year-round) and find out what weapon and sport he was doing.

He walked into the training grounds. Mr. Chiron was standing there.

"Ah. Mr. di Angelo. Glad you could make it. Now," he clapped his hands. "Percy, Annabeth, Will, Thalia, and Piper will be helping you with sports and weapon wielding. I like to take a different approach with finding your weapon of choice. You will duel with each student- not with Will because he does healing and wields the bow and arrow- to see which weapon you excel at. First, Thalia."

Thalia stepped forward, smiling. Her spear and slightly creepy shield were in hand.

"C'mon, Nico. Let's do this. Unless you're too scared," Thalia teased.

"I'll warn you. I suck," Nico replied. Thalia laughed.

"Begin!"

Thalia lunged forward, stabbing at lightning speed. Nico always had the reflexes of a cat and dodged them all. He decided to give up trying to use the spear as a weapon and just deflected blows with it. After about five minutes of this, Thalia did some weird fancy move and got her spear to Nico's neck.

"Thalia is the winner," Mr. Chiron stated. "Next, the dagger. Annabeth wields one type of dagger, while Piper wields another. You will fight each once."

After about ten minutes of getting his butt whooped, Nico was about to call quits.

"Before you decide to quit," Mr. Chiron added, almost reading his mind. "Just try the sword."

Nico, albeit grudgingly, agreed.

"Alright, Nico. You and me. Let's do this," Percy said.

"Sure. I just have to be tortured for five more minutes. Then, I'm done, right?"

"Right. Well, kinda. Oh, never mind. Let's do this."

Nico barely even heard what he said. He just wanted for this to be over.

"Alright, bring in on, Fish Boy."

"Ok, Shadow Dude."

"Fine, Aqua Ma-"

"Quit the horrible trash-talking, and fight!"

Percy lunged at Nico, and he dodged. For the next five minutes, Nico and Percy were still going at it. Nico was actually getting the hang of it. Percy kept on trying to get through Nico's defense but couldn't. Finally, Percy did a spinny-kicky thing to get Nico to lose or lower his defense. He didn't. After another fifteen minutes, Percy finally got a sword to Nico's neck.

"Looks like we found your weapon, Nico. You're good for a kid who's never fought before," Percy said, tiredly.

Nico nodded in thanks.

"What about my sport? And cabin?" He really wanted to sleep someplace else rather than the "New Student" dorms.

Chiron smiled.

"As I observed you, you would be an amazing cross country runner. Annabeth does track, which is different from cross country, but she can show you some stretches for running. Would you be interested?"

"Uh… Yes! I've always loved running."

"Great! Try outs are in two days."

"I'll be there."

Annabeth smiled.

"This'll be fun. We'll meet up after school."

Chiron cleared his throat.

"You're cabin… I think you'll be our second Hades!"

"Who's the first?"

"Oh! You'll meet her, Nico. Her name is Hazel. She hangs out with us. She hasn't been here since she's visiting her…er… family. She'll be back at 4-ish. You guys can talk after school," Will answered.

"Great! Before I forget, Nico, you will get your sword in gym," Chiron said.

Nico was scared. He never really talked to anybody other than his cousins and their girlfriends. What was he gonna do? As he contemplated what to do, he didn't hear a certain blonde sneak up on him.

"Great job, Nico! You are one of the only people who can actually give Percy a workout!"

Nico jumped at Will's voice for the second time that day.

"Oh. Thanks, I guess."

"No problem! Looks like Exploration is over. We should head to class. See you in gym!"

"See you, Solace."

Will beamed and ran off. Nico felt a flutter in his heart when he saw Will smile.

_Gods, di Angelo. You really need to cool down this crush of yours._

He stalked over to gym. Now he actually had something to practice.

* * *

"Ok, cupcakes," Coach Hedge boomed. "Get into groups arranged by weapon. Next class, we split into groups for sports." Nobody moved.

"What are you waiting for, cupcakes? MOVE, MOVE, MOVE."

Everyone immediately ran to their groups. Coach Hedge had that… effect on everybody. Everybody knew not to mess with him. Coach Hedge then started to walk towards Nico. What did he possibly do this time?

"Di Angelo, you're new, right?"

"Uh… yeah."

"You need to do your tests. Push-ups, sit-ups, and all that. Your sword-fighting coach will give it to you."

"Who is that?"

Coach Hedge smiled.

"You're lookin' at him."

* * *

Will sighed. Nico was good at EVERYTHING. He got top scores on all the physical exams, class tests, and was gosh darn adorable. Even from a distance, Will could tell he wasn't even sweaty. Will doubted he was even tired. As he looked at Nico from a distance (he's soooo NOT a stalker), Thalia waved a hand in front of his face. Will shook his head.

"Oh gods… you have it bad."

Will widened his eyes.

"Is it that obvious?"

"Yes. If it helps, Nico is oblivious. He doesn't know a thing."

Thalia also happened to know Nico also had a thing for Will, but why spoil the surprise for the two love-sick juniors?

Will looked at Thalia nervously.

"Promise you won't tell?

Thalia rolled her eyes.

"Promise, Will."

"QUIT YOUR JIBBER-JABBER, AND SHOOT!" Coach Artemis yelled **(A/N In this story, she will have no relation to the story except for being a coach.) **Coach Artemis had a liking towards their friend group, especially Thalia. Thalia was a part of her archery and combat class along with a few other people in the grade. They called themselves "the Hunt."

Will and Thalia both got back to their archery lesson, each one of them hitting bull-eye each time. They were both the two best at archery in the whole school. They even "tutored" some kids after school for it. For Thalia, it was like an escape from worries. It was like meditation. For Will, it gave him some purpose. He could help people with lessons, but he could also be defined a little more in the world. He was a future doctor, an archer, and more.

Soon enough, gym was over. Another boy in his class said a simple, common phrase.

"My dad is so annoying."

Suddenly, Will remembered something. Today was the day it all changed.

* * *

All-in-all, gym was pretty fun. Nico got to do his exam-thingies. Generally, he hated anything to do with test, but these ones he could surprisingly tolerate. Maybe it was because it satisfied his ADHD. Who knows?

Nico also got this black sword. It was made out of Stygian Iron or something. Chiron wanted to give Nico this sword specifically because another student that reminded Chiron of Nico had this sword. Supposedly, back in the ancient Greek times, this sword would send a soul killed with it to the Underworld.

During gym, Nico learned the basics of sword-fighting which he learned quickly. He learned some grips, stances, and techniques. He learned to quickly love the art of wielding a sword. It was beautiful in a deathly sort of way. Nico was also very surprised to learn that they used actual blades. With his little spar with Percy, they were wooden.

Nico also learned that people were scared of Half-Blood High. Years ago, the school was attacked by some idiot 20-year-olds. They tried to intimidate the students with their masks and muscles, but soon enough, the 7th graders had them down in less than ten minutes. Who knows what the high schoolers would've done?

While he was lost in thought, he realized he had been staring at his history textbook. Frick, he had to go to history! Nico booked it to the classroom, arriving just in the nick of time. Will was looking at him, amused. Of course, Nico was oblivious.

The history teacher was talking about the Ancient Ages of Civilization. Nico had always found History interesting. It was the worlds' roots. It was important to know a few things about our ancestors, he thought. English, History…those had always been his strong points. He loved words. They made up almost everything. Nico glanced at Will. He looked so bored. He kept on checking his watch. 11:47. Three minutes of class left.

Unlike Nico, Will loved Science and Math. He loved seeing how everything could be connected with logic and reasoning. Nico loved that with English and History, you had freedom. Your answers could be of multiple things. Will loved that there was usually only an obvious option. Still, both excelled in all subjects. They just enjoyed certain ones more.

Taking a break from all his note-taking, Nico spared another look at Will. His bright blue eyes were a bit duller. He was taking notes, - and good ones at that- but he didn't have the enthusiasm he always had. In fact, even when in History or English, Will always had some excitement. Now, he was stripped of it. What was wrong?

Nico refused to admit it, but he was worried for the boy. Did something happen? Was he injured? Did he need someone? Should Nico ask what's wrong? With those questions drifting around in his mind, the bell rang.

Will hurried to get out of class. He never did that. Nico rushed to follow him. He had to find out if Will was okay and well. What if he really did need help? Nico would regret if he didn't do something to help. Yeah. It was his conscience making him do this. Not his worry for Will.

Nico saw Cecil and Lou talking to Will. They both were looking at him worriedly. Both of them were Will's best friends. Those three were the closest people ever. Percy told Nico they also lived together, only solidifying their bond. Will kept shaking his head and smiling. Nico caught a few words and phrases."

"I'm fine…. not a…. deal," Will said.

"…. know…. lying," Cecil responded. Lou nodded. Will started to look a bit peeved. Not angry. Will was never angry. The only people to have ever seen him truly angry was Lou and Cecil. Neither would tell why he was, though. Nico slowly made his way to his locker. He decided that Lou and Cecil could handle him…right?

Nico's locker was actually closer to where the three were standing, making him hear everything clearer. It was like the perfect crime.

"Guys, I told you. I'm fine. It doesn't matter he left today. No biggie. I'm used to it."

"Will, we know you're lying, but we'll let you off, for now. Let me repeat, FOR NOW. Right now, we need to head to lunch.

The three began to walk off, leaving a question ringing in Nico's brain. Who left?

* * *

Emerging from the line, Nico sighed. He never knew where to sit. He clutched his tray in his hand and looked around. Soon, he spotted a black haired doof waving at him to come over. He saw a blonde girl smack him. Percy and Annabeth were certainly something. They had known each other since twelve and got together sophomore year.

"Took them long enough," the group always said. They were perfect for each other.

Nico made his way through the jam-packed cafeteria. High schoolers had already formed into their friend groups. He eventually found a spot at the table. Everyone was there. Piper was sitting next to Jason as he talked about soccer or something. Annabeth was talking to Percy about some ancient building in Greece. Thalia was talking to Leo and Frank about some essay they had to write. Lou and Cecil were whispering fervently. They looked worried. Will was- wait. Where was Will?

He looked around the cafeteria. Will was nowhere to be found. After lunch, he had science with Will. He would be there…right?

Nico tried to not think about it. He needed to distract himself. As he began listening to the conversations of his friends around him, he couldn't let go of the little thought floating around in his mind.

_Is Will okay?_

* * *

Sitting in the science building under the stairway and across from his next class, he sighed. He hated today. Absolutely hated it. Today was the day _he_ took off. _He_ abandoned his family, forcing his mother to work ten times harder than she already had. _He_, if you couldn't tell, was Apollo. His da-no. Dads are always supposed to be there for you. Where was Apollo? He was nowhere to be found, never a rock or a shoulder to lean on. He was gone. Apollo was merely an acquaintance who happened to be his biological parent.

Will sighed. He wanted class to start. It would help him forget. Science was his favorite class. It was all logic. Everything made sense. Will wished that life was like science. Everything made sense. Nothing was illogical.

Science was almost like an escape to Will. It helped him not think about worries and problems. All you had to do is focus. Focus and everything is fine. Just focus.

The bell rang, making Will jump and his train of thought to stop. Class started in five minutes. He saw his science teacher walking towards him. She looked surprised.

"Will? I didn't expect to see you this early to class."

"Oh. Yeah. I- uh- decided to get here a bit soon, I guess. Sorry for the inconvenience."

"It's no problem, of course. People are coming anyway." She pointed at a group of kids coming their way. It was _them_. Luke Castellan and his gang. They were known as the bullies of the school. Will was repulsed by them.

Mrs. Cade, the science teacher, opened the door. Will entered the classroom, sitting himself down in one of the middle rows. Within the next three minutes, everyone was in the class, including a worried black haired, Italian boy.

* * *

Nico entered the class, spotting Will immediately. He looked better now but still seemed to have lost his enthusiasm. For the rest of class, Nico couldn't really pay attention. He kept on looking at Will and how he was engrossed in learning about the world of science. Nico knew that this was not the time to admire how hot Will was but _damn. _His eyes were a piercing sky-blue that slightly squinted when he was concentrating, like now. His blonde hair was slightly in his eyes, but he didn't notice. Shaking out of his trance, Nico went back to taking notes.

Class ended, and everyone filed out. Science was the last class of the day, and now, they were free. Nico remembered that he and Will needed to work on their project. Nico didn't know if Will still wanted to, however. As he was pondering what to do, a voice popped up to his side.

"Nico!" It was Percy. He started examining Nico's face. "You look worried." Nico looked startled. Was it that obvious that _Percy _(Percy who didn't know Annabeth liked him even after she kissed him)could tell?

"Yeah."

"Why?" Nico sighed. Percy would find out one way or another.

"It's Will. He's been acting weird all day." Nico didn't see the slight smirk Percy had on his face. He quickly wiped it off before Nico could notice.

"Today was a bad day in Will's history. We know about one thing that happened today, but he refuses to tell us the other. Not even Lou and Cecil know." Nico knew about secrets. He didn't even think that Will had such big problems. He was always happy and joyful.

"You don't have to tell me what happened. It's his secret." Percy nodded.

"I have to go to practice, but I'll see you later, Nico." He watched Percy run off to the gym and turned towards his locker. He started packing books he needed. Once he slung his backpack over his shoulder, he turned only to meet the face of the boy he was thinking about all day.

"Hey, Nico." It was Will.

"Oh! Will."

"Do you want to meet Hazel and then head to my house?"

"You still wanna go?" Will laughed.

"Of course! Why would I not?"

"No reason. Let's go meet Hazel." Will started heading to the cabins, and Nico followed.

* * *

Hey, guys! I'm back with another update. Hopefully you guys like this chapter. I don't know if it's too good, but I'm hoping it is! Stay golden!

-EscapingWriter


	4. Learning

Hey, guys! Now, I know the last few chapters were just kinda introduction, but in this one, stuff happens. I also realized that if I ever implied or said that Will, Cecil, or Lou are in a cabin, they're not. Just wanted to clarify. Hope you enjoy!

* * *

Chapter 4- Learning

* * *

Nico walked along side Will, itching to ask if he was okay. If he wanted to talk. He wanted to ask questions and know what was going on, but he didn't. If Will wanted to tell him, he could, so he continued walking to the cabins with Will in a semi-awkward silence, silently cursing his luck. He just had to be in this specific situation with his crush. Soon enough, they reached the Hades cabin.

Hades was the Greek god of death. He radiated fear and pain in the myths told or him. Hades was also Nico's father. Needless to say, he was a bit amused by the coincidence that he was sorted into this cabin, but, hey, their family did love the myths. Maybe it wasn't even a coincidence. After all, Thalia, Jason, and Percy were all sorted into their "parent's" cabin.

He looked up at the cabin. It was painted black (no surprise there), but it didn't radiate death and fear like the god (and his dad) did. It was different than what he thought it could feel like. It actually felt like a home. A home to be shared. A home like before. A home that brought a family.

Will knocked on the cabin door, and a voice yelled from inside. It was dainty and sweet. The voice was Nico's roommate for the school year.

"Come in!"

Will opened the door, waving for Nico to come inside. Nico was fumbling with his fingers as he walked inside. Hazel, he assumed, had dark cocoa skin, black frizzy hair, and golden eyes. Her eyes captured Nico, drawing him in but not in an intimidating way. They brought a homey feel with them that emitted warmth and kindness. They reminded Nico of Bianca.

Talking about Bianca would always bring a pain, no matter when in time. Now, it was a dull thrumming in his heart. He didn't mind it too much. It was better than when he was alone in an alley, letting dark tendrils come out of him while they destroyed an abandoned building. He wasn't stable then. Now, he was so much better.

Hazel, before they walked in, was sorting out clothes on her bed, trying to get them into the drawer space given by the school. She was in an organized mess. She had a suitcase open next to her bed where are her clothes came from. She got up from her small folding station to greet the two. Smiling, she introduced herself to Nico.

"Hi! I'm Hazel. We'll be roommates, huh?" Nico smiled back.

"Yeah, I guess so."

"We should get to know each other. I have to go now to meet Frank." Here she had a slight pink color painted on her dark cheeks. "Maybe later?"

"Definitely. Will and I are going to his house, anyway."

"Nico and I are going to finish an English project," Will clarified for Nico.

"We can walk out together," Hazel offered. Will smiled.

"Yeah! Let's go."

The three walked out of the cabin and to the parking lot. Hazel said her goodbyes and went to the bus stop.

"My apartment is really close. We can walk," Will said.

"Cool."

As they walked, Nico noticed how well Will was accustomed to the area. He must have lived here for a while as he seemed to know the city like the back of his hand. Although Nico was content with just looking at Will (he was not doing it in a creepy way), he did want to get to know him.

"I heard you lived with Lou and Cecil." Will looked a bit surprised.

"Yeah. I do. Our families are really close because we met at a super young age. I think of Lou and Cecil as my siblings. Of course, Lou and Cecil don't think of each other as siblings if you know what I mean," Will replied, smirking slightly. Nico blushed a little.

"Oh. I see." Will laughed.

"Those two are oblivious. They can't even see their feelings for each other." Nico smiled.

"I've always wondered how two people can't see that they like each other." Now,_ that_ is irony.

"Well, here we are." Nico looked up at the apartment complex. It was a fairly big one at that. Will led Nico up the stairs, down the hall, and to his apartment. He unlocked the door.

Nico looked around. It was a pretty big place. He counted six bedrooms. Of course, that made sense. With Lou, Cecil, and Will's mom paying rent, they would have enough money for this place.

"Wanna head to the living room or mine and Cecil's to work? There's probably more space in the living room, but we can go to mine, too. Cecil and Lou aren't here. They're going to some debate thing, I think. It's their elective, I'm pretty sure. Anyway, you can choose. Or if you want me to, I can. Whatever you want. Shoot. I'm talking too much. At least I realized it this time, right?"

Nico was desperately trying to hold out from dying of cuteness. Will was rambling. He was adorkable when rambling. Scrunching up his eyebrows, cocking his head slightly, Will could ramble for days.

"We can go to the living room."

"Ok. Cool."

Will led Nico to the room. Both of them laid down their things and got to work. After hours of slaving over their project, Will glanced at the clock. 5:22. They had been working for about two hours. Will groaned.

"Wanna take a break? We've been working for _days_." Nico laughed at Will's childness.

"More like hours, but sure."

"Want some snacks?"

"Yeah. English sure does make you hungry." Will grinned at Nico.

"I'll get some chips."

Will came back with a family size bag of Lays potato chips.

"This okay?"

"It's perfect."

The two sat in an awkward silence with both blushing when they reached in the bag at the same time, and their hands brushed. Will had enough of it and decided to break the silence.

"Let's play 20 questions. We barely know each other!" Nico smiled.

"Sure. Why not?"

"Ok. No questions like 'what's your favorite color?'" Here Nico cursed, and Will laughed. "You go first, Nico."

"Fine. Ok…uh…I know that you live with Lou and Cecil, but why?" Will seemed to smile at a memory.

"My mom met Sophia and Martha- they're Lou and Cecil's moms- at work at this café. They hit it off from the beginning. Soon, my mom introduced me to Lou and Cecil. We became inseparable. Our families were never rich. Cecil's mom worked two jobs along with Cecil's dad, who passed. He died about five years ago. It was heartbreaking for all of us. He was like our dad, too. We fought and moved on. We're okay now. Lou's mom adopted her when her husband passed away saving Lou from a fire. My mom waited tables after my dad left- which is today, actually. They decided that they should move in together to save money and get a bigger place. Now, here we are." Nico was shocked. Silently fuming and cursing the world, Nico looked at Will.

"I'm sorry. About everything."

"Hey! It's okay. Pain fades. Now, my turn! So…why'd you move to America from Italy?" After Will opened up to Nico, it was his turn to.

"My dad and I wanted to escape, y'know? These idiots broke into our house and, long story short, killed my mom and sister right in front of us. I was heartbroken. I dealt with my grief though anger. I broke things and did some stuff I'm not too proud of. I'm okay now. I moved past my grieving phase. My dad shut himself away to deal with grief. He still is dealing with the grief after more than six years. My dad and I…. we wanted to get away from all that. It was too much. We had to wait a few years since my dad's business took off. Now, we're here."

Will looked sad. No. Sad wouldn't even begin to describe what Will was feeling. He was disappointed. Disappointed that terrible things happened to such pure, amazing, beautiful people like Nico.

"I'm sorry, too. People suck sometimes."

"It's okay. Like you said, pain fades. You can go again. I don't have a question."

"Ok. Your next question better be life altering," Will joked. Nico smiled at him. Even after all the two boys went through, they had joy blended into their life.

"What's your dad's business?"

"It's a funeral and jewelry store. My mom made jewelry and had a small business. My dad wanted to carry her legacy."

"That's…beautiful. I bet her pieces were extraordinary."

"Thank you. They were. Now, my turn. Did you have any other friends growing up?" Will stiffened.

"Yeah. They were nice." Nico noticed the way Will's voice strained to answer that question. Was this another pain in his past?

"Solace, are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine." Whenever Will lied, he always smiled to show he was okay. Will then smiled.

"You're lying." Will looked surprised for a second.

"N-no, I'm not." Nico raised an eyebrow.

"Uh-huh. Sure. And I'm the Cookie Monster."

"Fine. I am. I'm lying." Will never liked lying, but desperate times call for desperate measures. He couldn't let anyone know. He had to lock it up inside. His pain was his own, and he shouldn't burden others with it.

"You don't have to tell me if you don't want to. It's your secret. Your privacy. You can feel open to, though. This is a safe place, Will. You can trust me. I…I know what it's like to keep secrets. It's a burden, but don't think telling me is a burden on me." Will looked a bit dazed. Nico had basically read his mind. Maybe it was time to open up and tell someone…

"It's fine. It's time I told somebody. I've kept it in too long. Nico, no one knows what I'm about to tell you. No one. But I have to trust somebody. I trust you." Nico nodded his head. The two had not known each other for all that long, but Nico knew Will needed someone to confide in.

"I-I met these kids when I was younger. When I was about six. Their names were Lee and Michael. They were in this hospital. My mom used to volunteer there, but she didn't know I had made friends. Lee told me they were dying. Michael was his brother. He was dying, too. Both got caught up in a shooting down at the mall. Their father took off after paying for their hospital bills. I could relate. Mine left, too. Then, one day it all changed." Will took a shuddering breath here.

"They told me their father's name was A-Apollo." Will flinched at the mere mention of the name. "That's my dad's name. I kept on telling myself that it was a coincidence. Their dad and my dad left? Sure. Lots of parents leave. Both of them were different? Maybe. Then, they told me what Apollo was like. His personality, his looks. I'm surprised they didn't catch that I was his son because of my looks, but _I_ knew. It was _him._" Will spat out that word as if it were poison that he needed to get out of his mouth.

"I realized that they didn't know we were brothers. Or half-brothers. Both were in critical condition. They died a few days later. I never got to tell them that we were brothers. I was scared. Scared how they would react. Slowly, the fear morphed into anger and pain over their death. I was hurt and angry. I learned to hide my emotions from Lou, Cecil, Sophia, Martha, and my mom, but the anger was still simmering in me. I think that's what woke it. Soon, my nightmares triggered it. Nightmares of Apollo, of Lee and Michael. Nico, this is gonna sound crazy. You're probably not gonna believe me, but I have to tell somebody. I trust you, Nico." Will got up and started to pace. Nico's worry grew more with each step Will took.

"I don't know why, but my mom forgot about the light. I kept on trying to tell her, but she forgot. I gave up after a year of trying. It's like her brain just completely forgets. She remembered until I turned eleven. I'd tell her one day; she forgets the next. It's almost as if something wants me to keep it a secret. I…I gave up on trying to tell anybody, thinking that they would forget, too, but I can't control it anymore. It almost happened during school. Nico, this is crazy. Whenever I get worked up, this light wisps or tendril things come out of me. Like light tendrils. They float around the room, sometimes pick stuff up and just disappear. Nico. Nico, you gotta believe me," Will pleaded. Nico was stunned. Somebody else was like him.

"My mom forgot. I don't think-no. I _know_ she can't remember. She won't be able to. Please. Don't forget. Nico, don't forget." Nico was shocked. Beyond shocked. How could this happen? Nico didn't believe in destiny or fate, and he wasn't going to start. Maybe he should tell Will? Maybe Will would have answers.

"Will. This is gonna sound equally strange. I-" He couldn't believe he was about to reveal it. His biggest secret, but he had to. He had to take a leap of faith. "I have it, too. Except, I have darkness. After the murderers killed Bianca, I got angry. I saw red. These dark tendrils came out of me. I killed those murderers, Will. The tendrils…they weren't light, they were dark. When I was angry, laying in my bed, they used to float around me." Nico took a deep breath. "Will, we have the same power. Just you have light, and I have dark."

Will's jaw dropped. About 0.1% of it was because Nico had called him Will, but the rest was because of this. Today was the day when both could share their secret. Today was the day when both found someone who they could confide in. Nico stared at Will. He realized his luck. Will, his crush, shared a power, a secret, with him. Him. Nico di Angelo. Suddenly, Nico started smiling. He gradually started rolling on the floor, laughing.

"Nico? Nico, why are you laughing? Were you joking? Nico? I wasn't. Please tell me you weren't joking." Will, seeing Nico laugh after he gave up on trying to talk to the other, started chuckling. He joined Nico on the floor a few seconds later. After about five minutes, both recovered from their episode. Nico cleared his throat.

"No. I'm dead serious. It's just. It's weird. I…I never thought that someone could relate to me. Could be like me. I had- have- so many questions that could never be answered."

"Well…I suggest we continue with 20 questions. I think that it's my turn." Nico nodded. "When did you…I don't know…show your power? I mean, when did it happen? Like the first time?"

"The night the robbers came. I was overcome with hate and despair. I don't know what took over me. My dad was too shocked to realize that it was me who killed them and assumed they just shot themselves." Will couldn't take it anymore. If anyone deserved a hug, it was Nico. What could he say? He was a hugger.

So, Will, as fast as light, wrapped Nico in an embrace. He forgot in that moment he was hugging his crush. Nico didn't forget, though. His crush was hugging him. Will pulled back quickly, realizing what he just did.

"Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry. I didn't think. Gods, Solace. You're so stupid. I'm sorry, Nico. I didn't mean to. You obviously don't like contact, and what did I just do? I just surrounded you with it. Nico, I'm sorry. You're probably so uncomfortable right now. I'll just shut up."

In all truth, Nico was far from uncomfortable. It felt like he had known Will for years. They both had just let out a secret buried inside of them for their whole life. If Nico was telling the truth, he felt more comfortable with Will than Percy. He knows, he knows. He's known Percy his whole life! How could one person who he's known for only a couple weeks make him feel safe? Nico honestly didn't know.

"It's okay, Solace. I really didn't mind."

"O-oh. Uh…Anyway, your turn?"

"Yeah. Do you know how to control it? Or why we have it? It's all so strange. Like it's straight from a movie. We're these teenagers who are stuck with some weird ass powers things that can kill people. At least, mine can."

"Language! Anyway, I honestly haven't tried to control it, but I'm guessing when our emotions are peaking, we just kinda burst. I have no idea why we have these powers. I don't know if mind can kill. I haven't tried. Maybe we could go outside and try? There's this field that I used to go to after Lee and Michael died. No one really knows about it."

"Sure. When do you wanna go?"

"Now?"

"Sur-wait. What about the project?" Will looked at their abandoned papers next to the bag of chips.

"We were just getting a head start, right? We have two more weeks, and I think this is a wee bit more important than homework."

"True." Nico stood up, giving a hand to Will. "Let's go."

* * *

"Here we are."

Will spun around in the open meadow, his eyes sparkling like the sun above. Nico looked around, stunned. The sky somehow looked like a brighter blue in the open meadow with clusters of wild flowers speckled around. The grass was so long, it danced in the wind, and it was a bright green that almost sparkled. Trees surrounded the meadow, almost encasing the whole perimeter. It was gorgeous. All Nico could say was:

"Wow." He shook his head, breaking the trance the meadow had put him in. "We need to figure out how to control…" Nico waved his hands around. "This." Will turned serious.

"You're right. It usually happens, for me at least, when I'm feeling a really strong emotion. Usually fear or maybe anger."

"Same. I guess we kinda have to get angry. Should I go first?"

"Sure."

Nico felt a bit awkward, and unbeknownst to Nico, Will felt the same. It was weird showing your powers **(A/N I honestly have no idea what to call it. If you guys can think of a better name, feel free to write it in the review)** to your crush.

Nico ignored his feelings for Will at the moment (which was very, very hard since Will was staring at him with those freaking blue eyes) and focused, closing his eyes. He remembered his past, the one he tried so hard to push down, down, down in his memories, but today was different. Today he needed that anger, sadness, and grief. Soon, the blackness shot out of him in violent bursts. Nico opened his eyes. Will looked astonished.

"So that's what it looks like, huh?" Will asked. "That's what it looks like when I shoot tendrils out of me." Nico chuckled.

"I guess I'll see what I look like soon. You wanna go?"

"Yeah, I'll go."

Will took a deep breath and summoned his feelings. The betrayal, hurt, and anger he felt at Apollo, the grief he felt for Lee and Michael, and his frustration of that beautiful people felt horrible things. Soon, tendrils of light shot out of him, clashing with the dark. Both didn't notice what had happened when the two clashed. Will fluttered his eyes open and gasped. _Why the heck was he floating?_

Nico started up at him, looking as stunned as Will felt. Will then plummeted about ten feet to the ground, landing in a heap. He vaguely saw Nico rush towards him.

"Oh my gods, are you okay?" Will groaned as he sat up.

"I'm fine. How the heck did I get up there?" Nico looked like he had already come to a conclusion.

"Your tendrils came out a lot faster and more angrily than mine. They sorta scooped you up and let you float there."

"So, the more emotional we are, the weirder stuff we can do?" Nico shrugged.

"That's my guess. Maybe I should try?"

"Yeah. Go for it."

Nico went to a clear spot and summoned the tendrils. He let his full, unadulterated anger and pain seep out of him in black tendrils. Soon he found himself suspended in the air, but then found himself crashing down like Will.

"Are you okay? Did you break anything? Oh my gods. Nico! You were like twenty feet up! You must've felt really hard. Are you okay? That was insane! You fell _hard_. Do you have a concussion? Oh gods, you probably do. Are you o-"

"Yes, Solace. I'm fine," Nico said as he stood up, brushing off his black aviator jacket.

"Maybe we should head back. I think we had enough practice- do we even call it practice? Whatever. What I'm trying to say is, we should go home. We did almost just die. Well, that's overexaggerated but still. Frick, Lou and Cecil are probab-"

"Let's go, Solace."

* * *

After booking it to Will's apartment, sprinting up the stairs, and running into the apartment, they realized they had made it there before Lou and Cecil. Relieved, both decided that they should just work on their project. After five minutes, Will interrupted the silence.

"I can't concentrate. Too much happened today." Nico sighed. He felt the same.

"Same." Will sighed.

"What'd you wanna do?" Nico felt himself heat up as he realized something. He was alone with Will. His crush. In his apartment. _How did he not realize this before?_ Thankfully, the apartment door opened before Will could see Nico's blush. It was Lou and Cecil.

"Oh! Nico!" Lou exclaimed. "You guys working on a project? Will told us you guys got assigned together on an English thing. I didn't know you'd be here so late. It's already 6:43!" Silently thanking whatever higher being was up there, Nico smiled at the two.

"Oh! I guess we got caught up working. I'll see you guys tomorrow. I'll head to the cabins!" Will scrunched his eyebrows.

"It's getting dark. Be safe. Better yet, I'll just walk you there." Nico turned to Will.

"No! Solace, it's fine. I'll be fine." There was no changing Will's mind when it was already made up. Will looked at Nico.

"Meet you outside, Nico." Nico sighed.

"Fine, Solace."

* * *

After two minutes of waiting outside the apartment building doors, Will burst through, looking slightly annoyed. Lou and Cecil were going to get it when he came back. Those two had some nerve…

_ Nico walked through the door, saying he'll wait outside the apartment building for Will. After creek of the door hinges and it being shut, Will rushed to the closet to find his coat._

_ "So, Will, you're working on a project with Nico, huh?" Cecil asked, trying to imply something._

_ "Yes, Cecil." Where were his shoes?_

_ "Nico di Angelo, right?" Lou added._

_ "What other Nico is there in our grade?" He could've sworn he put them here… _

_ "To specify, your crush Nico di Angelo?" Cecil teased._

_ "Shut up, Cecil." Seriously, where did his shoes go?_

_ "Nico probably likes you," Lou said in a sing-song voice._

_ "I don't even know if he's gay! Now, where the heck are my dang shoes?" Cecil started laughing, raising up Will's shoes he'd been searching for._

_ "DANG IT, CECIL!"_

Nico noticed Will's agitated look.

"You okay, Solace?"

"Yeah, fine. Lou and Cecil were being annoying."

"Oh?"

"Mm-hm. They're teasing me about this guy I like." Will's eyes widened. Did he seriously just admit to Nico that he's gay? Nico's eyes widened slightly, but Will didn't notice, too worried about the secret only Lou and Cecil knew.

"You're gay?" Nico almost cursed at the hope in his voice.

"Yeah…I am. Well, now I guess you know all my secrets."

"Well, I guess I have to tell you my last one, then." He paused for dramatic effect. "I'm gay, too." Will stopped. Nico stopped, too.

"You are?" Will exclaimed, surprise dripping off his voice.

"Yep. 100%." Will's extremely intelligent response to that was:

"Oh." Nico laughed, a sound Will decided he always wanted to hear. Both continued walking in the very first comfortable silence the two had. It was a small achievement but an achievement nonetheless. Soon, they reached the school. Nico and Will were both a bit disappointed.

"Looks like this is where we part ways."

"I guess so, Solace."

"See you tomorrow, Sunshine." Nico did a double take. Sunshine?

"WHAT THE HELL, SOLACE? Sunshine? Really?"

"You always call me Solace, so I decided that this would be your nickname," Will said, like it was the most obvious thing in the world. Both bickered like a married couple for a few more minutes before Nico gave up. The universe had finally found someone more stubborn than him.

"Fine. I guess I'm Sunshine. Then you're… _doctorre sfigato._" **(A/N I was looking for "Doctor dork/nerd, but I found out that there is no specific insult like that. I found a website that said **_**sfigato **_**is an insult similar to dork, but it means loser. Just pretend for the sake of the story that it means Doctor Dork instead of loser.) **Will looked confused.

"What does that mean?" Nico shrugged.

"I guess you'll never know."

"Dang it." A question popped into Nico's mind.

"How come you never swear? You always say 'dang' or 'freak.'" Will shrugged.

"It's not in my nature." Nico grinned.

"One day, I'm gonna make you swear." Will rolled his eyes.

"Good luck with that. I bet $10 you can't."

"Deal." Then, they shook on it.

Will and Nico both turned away after their little bet, each one confident that they were going to win. Nico watched as Will walked off in the direction of his apartment from the confines of the Hades cabin. As he looked, with a smile plastered on his face, at the blue-eyed boy, he heard a voice behind him.

"You certainly have it bad, don't you, Nico?" He jumped. Hazel was here. Crap… He pivoted around to see Hazel, a smile playing on her face.

"W-what? No, I don't."

"Uh-huh. Sure," Hazel replied, a smirk on her face, sarcasm dripping off her tome. "I definitely believe you, a blushing boy starting longingly at the boy he made a bet with." Nico sighed, knowing Hazel had already figured it out.

"Fine. I have a crush on Will."

"Ha! Now, it's time for some cabin-mate bonding." This girl was so much like Bianca. She even radiated the same energy.

The rest of the night consisted of many fits of laughter, a couple embarrassing stories and photos, and both of them feeling so much closer than before, even in only a mere three hours. Hazel had already been prepared with pizza and soda ahead of time for them to eat. At 10 o'clock, neither were tired. Both were laying on the cabin floor, just having recovered from another fit of giggles.

"Hey, Hazel. Where were you the first two weeks of school?" Nico felt Hazel stiffen beside her. He realized he had hit something sore. He quickly added,

"You don't have to tell me."

"No, it's okay. I was just visiting my mom's grave. She died a long time ago, and I've been in foster care since about three years ago. Mr. Chiron adopted me and saved me in a way. The home I was in wasn't anything like an actual home, where you have happy memories in every room. He knows how much she still means to me. Every year, I go visit her grave to clean it up and catch up with her, I guess. It helps me feel her presence in a sense." Nico nodded, understanding. He could relate.

"My mom also passed, along with my sister, Bianca. They died when some idiot guys robbed our house. My dad and I were the only two who made it. My mom and sister used to make jewelry and kept it in this box. Every week, I go polish it to keep it clean. I even brought it with me from my dad's house. We moved here, but my dad is at work so much that boarding was the only option." He felt the remaining iota of tension in the air melt after both had opened up with each other. Hazel then said something that made Nico's heart fly to the heavens.

"How about I can be your new sister? I can't replace Bianca, but I can try to be a sister." Nico nodded, tears welling in his eyes, but none escaped.

"That would be amazing." Hazel hopped up from her place on the ground, pulling Nico up with her.

"Well, as my first official act as your sister, I command you to go to sleep and get some rest." Nico chuckled. It was a sister thing to do, and Bianca did it all the time.

"Yes, ma'am."

Nico hopped into bed as Hazel switched off the lights. He knew that this year was going to be great as his eyelids grew heavy, and he released himself into sleeps grasp. Today, he didn't think any nightmares would slip into his mind and awaken his power.

* * *

Another chapter done! Now onto writing #5. Review any suggestions you have! Stay golden!

-EscapingWriter


	5. A First Kiss

What's up, people? I'm here with another chapter. For this one, I persevered through the dreaded writer's block. Also, if there are any weird things happening with the setting (date) of the story, I'm sorry! I didn't really plan for that! Please ignore any plot holes with the date you catch. **Warning: gory scene. A caution will be provided.**

* * *

Chapter 5: A First Kiss

* * *

Nico awoke, groaning. The sun was rising into the sky, still making its way out of the colors around it. Slapping at the alarm clock beeping on his nightstand, Nico swung his legs out of bed, rubbing his still groggy eyes. He stared at the bright red numbers with a small bit of annoyance. Friday, September 11th, 7:20am. It was too early for Nico to function as a normal human being, but school starts in forty minutes. It had been a week since he moved in to the cabin, a week since he told Will everything, and a week since Hazel became his sister.

That week was…interesting to say the least. He had revealed secrets he pushed way down to Will, his crush. He expected to regret everything the next day and be completely and utterly embarrassed, but he wasn't. He was glad that he didn't have to keep secrets only to himself, anymore. He and Will had a brief conversation during English regarding the…sensitive topic.

_"Hey, Nico," Will blurted out suddenly. Nico looked at him, curious._

_ "Yeah?"_

_ "Well…er…do you wanna…I dunno…practice? Like practice it?" Nico smiled, knowing this was gonna happen sooner or later. It was four days after their little… moment, you could say. He did really want to spend more time with Will, considering his feelings for the blonde boy. _

_ "Yeah, that would be amazing, Solace. How about the field in…3 days?" Will, internally, was jumping for joy, but on the outside, he smiled and nodded. Both went back to work, content._

Nico smiled at the memory, wanting to reminisce more memories between him and Will but knew he had to start getting ready for school. He would be making more today with practicing with Will, anyway. Glancing over at Hazel's bed, he saw her covers, folded neatly over the entirety of the bed and her pills laying on the mattress.

He quickly learned that Hazel was an earlier riser than Nico, who woke up thirty minutes before him. Of course, this worked out better for the both of them as they didn't have to always fight for the bathroom. He remembered when he had to do that when Percy, Thalia, and Jason visited. It was honestly like a re-creation of _The Hunger Games_.

Rising out of bed, he stumbled over to the bathroom, brushed his teeth, took a shower, and was finally ready for school after 10 minutes. He headed over to the cafeteria, his stomach rumbling. Spotting Percy, Thalia, Jason, Hazel, and the others sitting at a table on the other side of the room, he walked over. He plopped down, his tray in hand, while everyone stared at him quiet. Soon, he looked up to see everyone looking at him, smirking. Nico faintly thought that this seemed like an intervention.

"What?"

"Oh, nothing. Just thinking about a certain blonde-haired archer," Piper spoke up. Nico choked a bit on his food, unknowingly making everyone's smirk increase ten-fold.

"So, Nico. Any comments on the boy?" Thalia asked.

"N-no."

"You're stuttering," Annabeth said in a sing-song voice. Nico glared at his scrambled eggs.

"Shut up," he grumbled.

"We know that you like him," Percy said, obviously bored that they were beating around the bush.

"Of course, I do! He's my friend. We should all like him."

"Not in the way you do. You, Nico di Angelo, son of Hades, have a crush on Will Solace," Leo added dramatically. Nico felt his face redden.

"Shut it, Valdez, or I swear I will murder you. I don't really want everybody in the entire school to know I'm gay, and I have a crush on Mr. Sunshine," Nico threatened. Then, his eyes widen. _Did he seriously just admit that to all his friends?_ Blushing hard with his lands clapped over his mouth, he heard everyone snicker a little.

"AH HA! I FREAKING KNEW IT!" Everyone turned behind them. It was Lou. And Cecil. Both were smirking, a look of glee in their eyes.

"C'mon, Cecil. Pay up." Cecil slapped a 10 in her hands, grumbling about something under his breathe. Nico, on the other hand, looked mortified. Was Will with them? He looked around the cafeteria, spotting Will. He was on the other side, having no way to hear Nico's confession.

"What'd you guys bet on?" Frank asked, holding Hazel's waist. Nico really needed to have a talk with Frank regarding Hazel, having a certain brotherly protectiveness of her.

"Well, we can't tell a certain somebody," Cecil answered, jabbing a finger at Nico.

"Whisper it to me, and I'll tell everybody else," Percy offered, being the closest to the two. Both shrugged, deciding to agree. Lou whispered it to Percy, who's eyes lit up. Percy told Annabeth, who rolled her eyes, muttering about how this was obvious. Soon, everybody knew, except Nico.

"Why the heck is everybody snickering and smirking?" Frick. It was Will. He was done talking with the other archers.

"No reason!" Jason quickly responded. Will didn't look convinced. Nico decided to inform him.

"Lou and Cecil had this bet, that Lou won after I…uh…revealed my sexuality, but now they won't tell me what the bet exactly was."

"Well…can they tell me?" Nico shrugged. He really didn't know.

"Nope," Leo answered, popping the 'P.'

"I guess we're both left in the dark, Sunshine." Nico sighed. Will really wasn't going to drop that nickname, was he?

"I guess so, _doctorre sfigato,_" Nico fired back. Will groaned.

"I still have no idea what the heck that means."

"I guess you'll never know."

"Well, I'll give you another nickname in my language. Um… θάνατος αγόρι. Ha." **(A/N in this story, Will will be the only one who speaks Greek. It means "death boy.")**

"You speak another language?" Nico asked.

"Yeah. It's Greek."

"Well, I guess I'll never know what that means."

The group looked admiringly at the two boys bickering and joking with each other. Percy and Jason were already forming "ship names" and discussing how the two were their "OTP." Meanwhile, Nico and Will were oblivious, as always.

"No, no, no, Will. Ghastly is soooo much better Jigglypuff."

"I have to disagree with you, there. We can all agree Ditto is the best Pokémon."

"Well, that's obvious."

"I mean, he can transform into basically any Pokémon."

"Exactly. And don't even get me started on Arceus."

"Oh my gods, right?!"

"I mean, the God of Pok-"

"If you guys are done geeking out over Pokémon," Leo interrupted. "We have to go class, which is starting starts in 10 minutes." Both of them started blushing profusely at their love of Pokémon being outed to the rest of the group. All of them already knew since both did a crappy job at hiding it.

Nico and Will had Math today. While Will was excited and pumped for it, Nico sulked as both of them walked over to the classroom. Sitting in a desk reading a book on architecture (unsurprisingly), Annabeth sat there, peaceful. Both plopped their gigantic textbook on the two empty desks behind her, relieved to not have to carry them. Then, _they _came in. Luke and the gang.

Luke strutted in the classroom; a permanent smirk imprinted on his smug face. Luke, a sexist, racist, homophobic piece of sh-trash, stopped right in front of Annabeth's desk, leaning on it. He had always had a huge crush on her.

"Hey, babe. What're you doing reading? A cute girl like you shouldn't do work. All you have to do is take care of that pretty face." Will, Annabeth, and Nico were all repulsed. Nico sent a death glare Luke's way, making him jump. Nico could be scary. Luke regained his charisma.

"What're you looking at, immigrant? What? Are you staring at me because you have a crush on me? That's disgusting."

"Excuse me, Luke," Annabeth growled, slamming her book shut. "Get with the program. It's the 21st century. Gay marriage is legal, we're striving towards equality for all, and people can move to America. Now, I recommend you flee from my wrath before I unleash it on your behind for objectifying me with 'babe' when I have a boyfriend." Apparently, Luke found this absolutely hilarious, almost doubling on the floor in laughter. Wiping the tears from his eyes, he said:

"You're funny. You're just a girl." Annabeth jumped out of her seat, her gray eyes brewing a storm. She was ready to fight, and everyone knew not to mess with Annabeth. When a boy in their grade tried to "feel her up," she had dislocated his shoulder within the span of 10 seconds. Will had also been waiting to release his anger at Luke, too, wanting to stand up to him with Annabeth. She shouldn't have to fight her fight alone.

"Look, Luke, you should really shut the heck up. Who the heck are you to limit others based on their true self? You treat everyone like their less than you. You treat lgbtq+ people, like myself, women, like Annabeth, and people of ethnicity, like half the friggin school, like poop."

"So, you're a faggot," Luke sneered. **(A/N I know I'm painting Luke to seem like a jerk, but for the sake of the story, go with it. Now, I freaking hate people who treat others like this. Like, what? Who the frick are you to judge? Love is love, hate is hate, dude/dudette.) **

That was the last straw for Annabeth. Just as she was getting ready to beat the living crap out of Luke, the teacher waltzed in to class, not realizing what had just been said.

"Alrighty, class. Let's settle down and get started." Will and Nico had pulled Annabeth down, not wanting their friends untarnished record to come to an end. She had calmed down after death glaring the back of Luke's head for a solid five minutes.

* * *

Will took notes, answered questions, and actively participated in class, but he didn't feel _there_. After the little incident with Luke, Will shook with anger. He knew Luke sucked, but did a human even have the capacity to suck that much? He didn't realize the torment he just witnessed was what Annabeth went through all her school life. His hate for Luke increased tenfold that day.

The bell rung a while later. Everyone got up and out of the class, Luke and his gang going out first, probably eager to get out of learning. Their group was really a mystery with nobody knowing much about them.

Ethan, a quiet boy who seemed the closest and most loyal to Luke, was Luke's helper in bullying kids. He, however, did appear to have a soft spot for the kids with parental issues, unlike Luke you tormented all. Ethan had never really bothered Will as Will was too shy to even gain the attention of the bullies. Well, after this morning, maybe he was on their radar.

Drew, a very…provocative girl, was known to seduce other boys and bail on them. She would manipulate their emotions, and no matter how many times she committed what she did, another boy would fall for it. She seemed to have an aura of fake beauty surrounding her and used it to her advantage. She seemed to have the power to bend anyone to her will.

There were about five others, all idiots who were held back grades for smoking, drinking, and more. These seven were the bullies of the school, radiating fear around the whole campus. Even some seniors were scared of them, even if some of the group was younger than them.

Other than that very limited information, the school- and Will- knew nothing else about them. Will got up, packing up his things. He saw Annabeth, still a bit angry from the beginning of class.

"You okay?" Annabeth looked lost in thought.

"What? Oh, yeah. I'm good. It's just…I hate that moron." Will chuckled.

"Same. Does anyone know he's doing that to you?"

"Well…two people do. You and Nico." Will understood, but he knew that Annabeth should tell someone.

"That makes sense. If you told Percy, Luke would be so dead right now but…. Annabeth. You need to tell someone." Annabeth nodded.

"I know. I do. I need proof, though. Luke may seem like a dumbass, but he isn't. We need solid proof to get him. That's why, today, I got some," Annabeth smirked. "When Luke was over by my desk, I had a camera rolling." She walked over to the corner of the room, pulling out a camera.

"Now, that's why Percy calls you Wise Girl, Annabeth," Nico laughed, deciding to join the conversation. "Do you want us to come with you to the office? It's Exploration now, anyway." Annabeth silently thanked the gods.

"Could you? I don't want to go alone."

"Of course! You didn't even have to ask!" Will replied. Together, all three of them walked to the office, happy that they would finally catch that sicko.

* * *

The three waited in the office, all of them shifting uncomfortably. When they had entered the office, the school secretary, Ms. Gowan, showed them to wait in Mr. Chiron's office after they told her why they were here. She took notice in the gravity of the situation, a somber look appearing on her usually cheery face. It was still an uncomfortable moment, waiting in the principal's office like they were the ones in trouble.

After about five minutes of waiting, Mr. Chiron walked in, **(A/N in this story, he won't be in a wheelchair) **a serious look on his features. Ms. Gowan must've told him what had happened. He walked over to his desk and sat in the chair behind it.

"I hear that you have been harassed by our very own Luke Castellan." Mr. Chiron was no stranger to the bullying in school and did everything he could to stop it. Receiving several complaints in the anonymous suggestion/telling box about bullies, he couldn't do anything about it. Kids were driven by fear, too scared to write down Luke's name and get found out by him. Chiron couldn't do anything about a nameless bully, but now, he had a person to fit with the unknown bully.

"Yes. I had decided enough was enough. Luke needed to be stopped from terrorizing people in the school, so I rolled a camera to record his actions." Laying the camera on the principal's desk, Annabeth pressed play on the recording. She showed Mr. Chiron the footage of Luke's behavior of hate. Mr. Chiron, his face growing darker by the second, stood up in his chair, shaking his head ever so slightly.

"I'm sorry that the three of you had to be faced with Mr. Castellan's actions. Proper consequences to Mr. Castellan for his outrageous behavior will be dealt." Will knew that under Mr. Chiron's calm exterior, he was filled with rage inside. He had opened this school to welcome everybody, wanting kids to get along. "You three can go, and I will deal with him."

"Thank you so much, Mr. Chiron," Annabeth said, gratitude dripping from her voice.

"I'm just glad I found out who this bully was. Kids had told me of the bully, but they were too scared to give the name. Now, class starts in 5 minutes. You three should hurry out."

The three nodded, heading to their next class.

* * *

Waiting for something, anything, to go wrong, Will was jumpy the rest of the day. He was expecting Luke and his gang to corner and beat the living crap, but it never happened. The only thing involved with Luke was the calm voice of Ms. Gowan calling him to the principal's office.

After going to his other three classes that day (Study Hall, Fine Arts, and Foreign Language- Greek and Latin), he headed to his locker. Spotting Nico right across the hallway, Will headed to him.

"Hey, Sunshine." Nico didn't look at Will, trying to conceal his blush from the other boy. Will, using that nickname, was really getting to him. He tried to act nonchalant.

"Hey, Solace."

"I was just wondering, when do you wanna practice…y'know…_it_?" Will asked, fiddling with his thumps.

"Well, I was thinking we could head to the field right aft-"

"Hey, guys!" A voice cut Nico off. It was Silena.

"Oh! Hey, Silena. Whatcha doing?" Silena was a senior at the school, but Percy was close friends with Beckondorf, Silena's boyfriend. Percy introduced Silena and Beckondorf to the group, who introduced the two to Nico. Even after a week, Nico considered himself close friends with Silena, and Silena did, too, with Nico.

"I wanted to invite you two to my party tonight. It's at 4:45. Do you wanna come?" Nico and Will had a silent conversation with their eyes in only a few seconds. Will looked at Nico with a questioning look.

_Should we go? It might look suspicious if we both say no…_

Nico responded with a nod of a head.

_Yeah. I agree. We should just cut practice short._

Will nodded.

_Ok._

"Yeah! Totally! I might come a bit late, though. Maybe about 10 minutes after the party starts," Will responded.

"I would love to go! What's the party for?" Nico answered.

"Well, I thought it would be fun for a little get together with the juniors and seniors. Of course, it's only people we think are kind," Silena replied, hinting that Luke and his gang wouldn't be invited. Both received the message. Nico, done with packing his things, shut his locker.

"Ah. I see."

"Well, I'll see you two there. I text you both the address." Both smiled.

"See you there, Silena!" Will called as she walked away. Turning to face Nico, he said, "I'll go pack my things. We should get to the field at 4ish, leave after 30 minutes, and Silena's house is about a twenty-minute walk. We'll only be about 5 minutes late."

"Yep, that works. Now, hurry, _doctorre sfigato_!"

"Alright, alright, θάνατος αγόρι!"

* * *

Both got to the field. The scenery was just as beautiful and breath-taking with its view of the crystal-clear sky, the trees encircling the green, green grass, and the open space for the two to be as free as a pair of birds.

"Ok. I guess we have to learn to control the tendrils?" Will's suggestion came out more of a question.

"Yeah. Like when we're emotional, and there are too many people around. We can't really show our power or we'd end up in a lab being experimented on."

"So, how do we control it? We first have to get angry or gloomy or something. Then, I guess we just go for it."

The two continued to practice until both could get mildly angry and not blow wispy tendril things out of their bodies and cause mass mayhem. Thirty minutes had flown by, only feeling like thirty seconds to the young men. Each had fun in their own way, finally embracing a side of them that had been secret for so long. Pulling his phone out from his pocket, breathing heavily from using the power, Will checked the time.

"Crap! Sunshine, we gotta go! It's 4:33." Nico, even in the rush they were in, blushed despite himself at the nickname.

"What're you waiting for, doctor? C'mon!" Now, it was Will's turn to blush. Recovering, he laughed and taunted Nico.

"You slowpoke! Let's go! I'll race you." Both starting booking it to Silena's house, their laughs echoing in the air past them.

* * *

"Did you guys run here or something?" Silena looked curiously at the two red-faced boys that had rang the doorbell. Both had large smiles plastered on their faces.

"Uh…yeah," Nico admitted sheepishly. "We didn't want to be late."

"Ok, you guys…Well, c'mon in. You two are actually a couple minutes early. Most people aren't here yet, anyway. Feel free to make yourself at home. If you need anything, just come to me!" Both nodded, and Silena walked off to other guests.

After about fifteen minutes of guests pouring in, everyone at the party was here. Music started to echo through the house, making people gravitate to the large dance floor. Everyone could safely say, Silena was pretty darn rich for a humble, grounded girl. She did board at the school, but her parents had a house in the city. Not wanting their child to be alone in the house since they were working, they just let Silena board there.

Will and Nico had found their way to Percy, Annabeth, Jason, and Piper all mingling near the snack table after about ten minutes. Soon, Leo, Calypso, Frank, and Hazel found them. Thalia was hanging out with her archer friends, all of them dancing to the music on the floor. Lou and Cecil had also made their way to the forming of large group near the table. Leaning over to Annabeth, Percy whispered:

"I bet that those two will tell us they're together in late May. $30."

"No way. They'll kiss on Christmas and tell us the next day. $30. Might as well pool in the money."

"Deal. Winner gets $60." Seeing the small interaction between the couple, Hazel made her way over, already guessing what they were talking about from the looks sneaked at the two boys from Percy and Annabeth. She whispered to both of them:

"I bet by on New Year's Day. $45." Both looked at Hazel, surprised. Percy was the first to recover.

"Winner gets $105." Nico had noticed the small huddle formed by the three.

"What are you guys talking about?" He asked, suspicious.

"Nothing. Absolutely nothing," Hazel answered, a smirk running across her face. Nico narrowed his eyes but was distracted by the blonde boy staring at another 11th grader, forgetting his little interrogation with Hazel. Will was looking at Travis Stoll.

Jealousy swept over Nico's emotions, overtaking each one. It was silly, being jealous at the guy who wasn't even yours, but he was. Will started walking in Travis's direction, making Nico even more jealous. His eyes, laser focused on the blonde-haired boy, did not notice the huddle slowly, but surely, growing in number.

The three, Hazel, Percy, and Annabeth, had gotten more people in on the bet. $20 on Frank for Halloween, $20 for October 17th on Cecil, $20 for March 22nd on Lou, and $30 on Jason for they will start dating but won't tell the group, $32 for April 2nd for Piper, and $40 for both Leo and Calypso for May 3rd. In the end, the total amount was $267, all of them hoping they'd win.

Soon, everyone was in one, big group, looking at Nico glare at Travis in jealousy. They, snickering quietly, watched the jealous teen. All of them had the urge to tell Nico that Will liked him, but they didn't, wanting the teens to figure it out for themselves.

Nico watched as Will walked up to Travis, greeted him, and started chatting with him, but they weren't flirting. Or even touching, for that matter. A pretty girl with brown hair, green eyes, and a tan complexion, Katie, he remembered, walked up to the two, kissing Travis on the cheek. Tension melting from his shoulders, Nico relaxed. So, Travis and Will weren't dating or flirting or whatever. Phew.

He turned around to mingle with his friends only to be met by smirks and giggling. As he slowly narrowed his eyes, the whole group burst out laughing.

"I realized you had a crush, but I didn't expect it to be so bad!" Leo puffed out after recovering from his fit of laughter."

"Shut up, Valdez," Nico grumbled.

"Turns out your little crush is huge, Nico!" Percy exclaimed. The group, wiping tears from their eyes, finally noticed a certain blonde-haired boy looking at them, sadness reflecting his eyes for only a few seconds. Nico, his back facing Will, couldn't see him.

"Shut your damn mouth, Percy, or I will unleash hell on your a-"

"Language, Sunshine!" Will finally said, making his presence known. Red covered Nico's face.

"Solace! Uh…how much did you hear?" Will hid his sadness with humor, but everyone, except Nico, saw right through his mask, knowing his look of forced happiness.

"Just to know somebody has a crush," Will said in a sing-song voice.

"N-no I don't, Solace!"

"Uh-huh, totally." Nico realized there was no way to hide his secret from Will.

"Fine. I do. But I'm not telling you!"

"He's a lucky guy," Will muttered, only heard by the still slightly chuckling group.

"What?"

"Oh! Just that I'll find out soon, Sunshine."

"Don't be so sure, Doct-" A loud crash coming from the window beside them interrupted Nico. It was _them._ It was Luke and his gang. Nico, Will, and the others were the only to notice the new addition to the party, all of them knowing they were crashing. Luke spotted Will, staring him down and making his way over.

"Well, well, well. If it isn't the fag," Luke said, eyeing Will.

"Shut it, Luke," Nico snarled. Luke ignored Nico.

"He's coming with us. We need to have a talk with him." Will laughed.

"No way in heck am I going with _you_."

"Yes, yes you are." Luke grabbed Will, still fast from being a past football player. **(A/N I know, I know, stereotypes.)** "It's time for your gay-ness to end." Pulling Will to the other side of him, Luke laughed, telling Drew to stand beside him. The group knew if they tried to attack Luke or get Will, Luke would still have enough time to severely injure Will. Holding back Nico, Annabeth explained their position. Luke, his plan needing to be fulfilled, explained.

"Now, Drew here, will help be a guide for your gay-ness to end." He signaled Drew to carry out the plan. As fast as lightning, Drew pressed her lips against Will's. Will was terrified, whimpering and struggling to get out of Luke's grasp.

Nico saw red. Escaping the group's hold, he stood a yard away from Will. Tendrils of darkness dripped out of him, slithering their way to Luke. The colorful flashing of the lights lit up the tendrils for only a split second, no one noticing the snakes of darkness creep up to Luke. Somehow, everyone felt their presence, shifting from foot to foot nervously. They arrived at Luke's body, reaching his neck and tightening their hold. Slowly making him rise, the tendrils made Luke float, who let his hold of Will go and gasp for breath. Everyone gasped, shocked at the scene before them to react to what was happening. Still, no one had noticed the tendrils in the darkness of the room

Will, knowing what was happening, stepped in front of Nico, grabbing his hand and making the anger drain out of him. Luke came crashing to the floor in a heap. Hopping to his feet, Luke quickly started sprinting to the window he came from, his whole gang following. Soon, every bully disappeared, gone in the blink of an eye.

Will let go of Nico's hand, making him wish he held on for a little longer.

"Nico, you okay?" Nico glared at the window, but his gaze softened when Will spoke.

"How can you ask if I'm okay? Are you okay?"

"I'm fine. It was nothing." Will sighed. "I didn't expect my first one to be very good, anyway."

"That was your first kiss?"

"I don't want to count it as a kiss, but it was the first time my lips touched another's." Will was disappointed. He hoped his first kiss would be full of electricity and sparks, passion radiating from only a small peck- or more. He wanted his first kiss to be filled with longing for a future with the boy he kissed. Speaking of which, he wanted his first kiss to be with a male. Nico, responding to Will clarifying that was his first kiss, wisdom glowing from his profound answer, said:

"Oh."

Only seconds after the conversation between the two hesitated, the rest of the group drowned Will in questions, especially Lou and Cecil. The group flooded Will with questions filled with worry, fear, and anger.

"Are you okay?"

"Do you want me to kill them? I will."

"I'm so sorry! Did they hurt you? I swear to the gods if they did…"

Will silenced everybody after about fifteen minutes of questions fired at him, worrisome comments, and more. He was getting a bit annoyed.

"Guys, it's okay. It's fine." Arguments erupted around him.

"No, it's not!"

"Are you crazy! Of course, it's not fine!"

"Will, stop shoving your pain away and being dismissive about it! It's not fine."

Will silenced them again, only taking about five minutes this time.

"Ok, ok. It's not fine or okay." Burst of agreement followed that. Percy spoke up.

"I think we can all also agree that Will is not going to be alone for another second tonight." Everyone nodded.

"No way in hell or Tartarus or ever is Will going to be alone for the rest of the month, god damn it!" This earned a strong "Language!" from Will. "Luke can still get him when he's walking alone in the hallway. We also need to tell Chiron on Monday what the heck just happened," Nico said. Everyone agreed.

"I think we need a schedule," Annabeth suggested. Will groaned. His friends were soooo overprotective. It was crazy. When Percy broke his arm doing something on his skateboard, the whole group didn't let him do anything, making him almost insane. Of course, Will was probably the worst when somebody got hurt, going into "full-on doctor mode" as everyone called it.

For the next ten minutes, the group figured out a schedule for taking care of Will. Nico, Percy, Annabeth, Jason, and Piper would stay with him during the party, Nico, Lou, and Cecil would walk him home, and Will really didn't pay attention to the rest.

"Ok, team. Scatter, and split!" Annabeth finished.

The rest of the night was pretty fun with only a few flashbacks on Will's part of the moment Drew did… _that_ to him. Terrified and helpless, Will couldn't do anything until Nico's rescue with the power. Everyone had had concluded it was some sort of trick of the light, and Nico and Will didn't correct them. While Nico was absentmindedly staring at Will, he caught the other boy staring off into space, flinching a few times, and quickly realized why. He started to pull Will out from his pain-filled memories, vowing to make Luke pay.

"Will, you're okay. You're not there anymore. You're safe with me," Nico soothed. Will immediately relaxed, blushing. Nico had called him Will, sending shivers up his spine.

"Thanks, Sunshine. For everything." Nico blushed, but it was hidden by the flashing dance lights and darkness of the room.

"No problem, Solace."

At about eleven thirty, the group decided to head home, eyes drooping, feet dragging. All of them made sure that Will would be safe and warned Nico, Lou, and Cecil to "be prepared for anything." Rolling his eyes, Will began to walk home, leaving Nico, Lou, and Cecil scrambling to catch up to him.

"Will, wait up!" Cecil yelled, running to him. Scolding him for being unsafe, the trio arrived to Will. Lou and Cecil started to lag behind to scope out the surroundings, leaving Will and Nico alone. This was all part of their plan to get the two together.

Of course, Will and Nico chatted together, talking about the English project that they only had to do one more poem on till they were completely done. They arrived at the apartment complex well before Lou and Cecil and decided to wait outside the building. After all, Lou had the key to the building, anyway.

"Thank you for saving me with the tendrils," Will whispered, almost inaudible, but Nico heard.

"Like I said, no problem, Solace." Will smiled in the darkness, starting to slump against the building. He was exhausted, mentally, physically, and emotionally. Nico noticed Will's face against the pale moonlight shining on the city. Even in the darkness, Will was breath-taking. Will noticed Nico staring at him. A smirk played on his face. He quickly, as fast as lightning, lowered himself to Nico's level and brought his face near to the other boy's. Maybe exhaustion was making him bolder.

"Were you staring at me, Sunshine?" Will asked innocently.

"N-no. Shut up, Solace." Nico didn't notice that their faces were getting a bit closer every second, their breath mingling. For the first time, Will refused.

"No." Just as their faces, their lips, were inches apart, Lou and Cecil just HAD to reach the building. Luckily, they didn't notice the blushing boys, red from the moment the two just had, as they reached the building. Nico wondered if Will would even remember what had just happened given how drained he was. Nico doubted he would.

Walking to the grey, run-down elevator, all of them to weary to climb the many flights of stairs, the four slumped against its confined walls. Nico wasn't looking forward to walking home alone in the darkness of midnight. They all stumbled down the hallway, opening the creaky door. A yellow sticky note was stuck lazily on the door. Lou grabbed it and read it aloud.

_You guys probably got back late. Food is in the fridge. You guys can sleep in tomorrow. _😊.

_-Your mothers who are sleeping peacefully and wishing you guys don't wake them up. _

Nico chuckled at the note. It was short, sweet, and thoughtful. He wondered if his father would every do anything like that for Nico ever again.

"Well, guys, I should head out." Lou, Cecil, and Will protested.

"No way in heck are you going home alone at this time of night! I will not allow this, Sunshine. You could get mugged, murdered, or kidnapped. No way, Hosé! You better not walk out that door. You can stay here for the night! We have a guest room you can stay in. I show you where it is, but you have to eat. You barely ate at the party anyway! You have no options, Sunshine." Will took a deep breath after his ramble.

"Ok, ok, _doctorre sfigato_." Will smiled, pulled out a chair for Nico to sit in, and motioned for him to sit down. Rather hesitantly, Nico sat down in the chair. The four got things out of the fridge for a midnight snack as they didn't have a very good dinner at the party. Soon, all of them, their faces stuffed and stomachs full, decided to hit the hay. Lou was the first to retire to bed.

"I'm gonna head to sleep, guys," Lou yawned. "See you tomorrow." A chorus of good nights followed her as she stumbled into her bedroom. Will hopped up.

"I'll show you to the guest room, Nico." Standing up, Nico followed Will to the guest room. Before Nico could enter the room, Will lightly grabbed his arm.

"I-I just wanted to say thank you again. You saved me."

"No problem, Solace." Will let Nico's arm fall to his side, making the other boy still wish for its warmth. Returning to his normal, cheery attitude, Will smiled.

"Good night, Sunshine." Nico, about to go in, flushed at the nickname. Luckily, Will had already left. Nico, a smile still printed on his face, entered the room and wrapped himself under the comfort of the warm blankets laid out neatly on the bed. His eyes soon grew heavy, wishing to close. Staring up and the ceiling fan go round and round, he found himself drifting off into a quiet, peaceful slumber.

* * *

Will walked into the dining room. He found that Cecil had crept off to their bedroom. Sighing, Will, alone, started to put away the food. He opened the fridge door as silently as possible, grabbing the two containers of food and storing them away. Suddenly, he a slight blur fly by the fridge door. Rubbing his eyes, he scanned the room. He groaned.

_I really need to get to bed._

Will finally started walking to his and Cecil's shared room. He was about halfway to the door when he saw a figure in front of him. Too tired to register who it was, Will was about to yelp in surprise when the person darted in front of him, knife in hand. The unknown figure, quick as lightning and probably knowing Will was exhausted, soon had Will's hands tied tightly behind him and cloth stuffed in his mouth.

Will tried struggling, but it was futile. He was too tired, and this person knew what they were doing. Who was even doing this to him? His eyes focusing, he saw who it was. Thinking of why he didn't already figure it out, he recognized the infamous bully. Luke Castellan. A vengeful grin plastered his face, Luke's eyes focused on the knife in his hand.

**Warning: gory scene. Skip to the next bold if you don't want to read**

"I don't know how you escaped from me at the party," Luke growled. "But this should take care of you."

Clutching the knife with white knuckles, Will thrust it into Will's gut, twisting it as it was imbedded into the boy. Will's cry was muffled by the cloth stuffed into his mouth. Red covered his T-shirt, staining it. Tears flew out of Will's blurry eyes, making a puddle at his feet. The blood and tears mixed together. Luke stood up, grinning manically. He roughly grabbed Will and tossed him into a random closet, Will's head banging against the hard, closet wall and landing roughly on his right arm. Will was scrunched up in a ball.

Before shutting the door, Luke spat, "Looks like my work here is done."

Will, tears and blood staining his clothing, refused to sleep in that moment. He knew if he fell asleep, he would most likely never wake up. He most likely got a concussion because of the stabbing pain in his skull. He also noticed bruising forming along his misshapen arm, which had definitely broken from the fall. Pain was all he felt in those grueling hours.

**End of scene. Summary: Luke stabbed Will in the gut, threw him in a closet, and left him alone. Will obtained a concussion, broken arm, and countless bruises.**

Clinging to the hope someone would find him, Will leaned against the wall, trying not to think about the pain stabbing his body. If he tried to talk, move, or even breath too hard, it hurt too much. He couldn't signal to anyone he was alone, hurt and dying. Maybe sleep would help. Maybe the pain would end. Maybe he could escape.

Going against what his brain was telling him, Will fell asleep, forgetting about the pain. His mind, accepting his desire to sleep, flooded his mind with happy memories, almost trying to comfort him. He had accepted his fate that he would probably die. He didn't want to die, though.

Throughout the night, he drifted in and out of sleep. His only thought making him fight though the pain was:

_I can't leave give Nico more pain to fight through._

* * *

MWAHAHAHA. My first cliff hanger. What will happen? Stay tuned to find out. Stay golden!

-EscapingWriter


	6. Finding Home

***Dodges pitchforks, torches, and knifes* **What's up, guys? I kinda maybe sorta left you on a cliffhanger before, so here's what's happens next. Sorry, but I'm not too sorry! **Detailed descriptions of wounds ahead.**

* * *

Chapter 6: Finding Home

* * *

Nico woke up to an unfamiliar ceiling. After a few seconds of panicking and wondering where he was, he remembered that he was staying at Will's. Will. Just the mere thought of his name had Nico's heart racing, recalling the small moment the two had. Swinging his legs off the bed, Nico looked at the time. 9:43. He got quite a bit of sleep.

Wincing at the creak of the door as it opened, he noticed another sticky note, this time on the counter-top.

_Hey, guys- including you, Nico! _Nico turned a bit red but continued reading. _Will probably got up with the sun- as always- and is out on his run. Breakfast is in the fridge. _On the bottom, there was a separate note for Nico. _Help yourself to anything, Nico. You're the new member of the family. Our home is yours. Also, if Lou and Cecil aren't up before you, feel free to use any means necessary to wake them up. _😉.Nico's heart pounded. He was a part of another family. He had a home.

Tears welled up in Nico's eyes. Quickly making them disappear, Nico filled up a cup of water, but he didn't bring it to his mouth. Instead, he walked to Will and Cecil's room, slowly opening it. Tip-toeing to the lump on the left bed, Nico carefully brought the blanket down to reveal Cecil, still sleeping soundly. Nico bit back a laugh when he saw the string of drool coming from Cecil's mouth.

He brought the water above the sleeping boy's face and promptly dumped it onto his before dry face. Sputtering, coughing, and loud laughs erupted from the room.

"DAMN IT, NICO!" Lou burst into the room, her hair sticking up in every direction and a wild look in her eyes. She quickly realized what had happened from a laughing Nico on the floor, dying, and an angry Cecil glaring at him. She also realized Cecil wasn't wearing a shirt. Red flushed her face.

"You guys woke me up," she said once her red face died down. Now, Cecil blushed when he realized he wasn't wearing a shirt, pulling up his blanket.

"Oh! Lou! Sorry! Nico here dumped water on my head." Nico had recovered from his laughing.

"Your mothers said to use any means necessary to wake you up."

"Thank the gods that you did it to Cecil first." Nico smirked.

"Who's to say I won't to it to you?" Nico quickly pulled the second cup of water and launched it at Lou, who didn't have time to react and was left soaked. Lou handled the situation better than Cecil. She glared at him and said:

"I'll get you one day, di Angelo."

"You can try." Cecil looked to the bed to his right.

"Where's Will?"

"Your moms said that he was probably out on his run." Lou and Cecil started to worry, both glancing at the clock.

"He's never on his run for four hours. He usually gets back by seven," Cecil said, getting up and pulling on a random shirt from his dresser. Nico's worry grew, too. All three of them made a silent agreement to get out of the room and go search for Will, not caring they hadn't done any hygienic things get. They all stepped out of the two boy's room, still in their clothes from last night. Thoughts flew by each of the teen's minds.

_Where the hell is Will?_

_Did Luke get to him?_

_Why did he not wake us up to tell us he's going on his run like he always does?_

_Is he okay?_

Pulling on his shoes, Nico heart a thump from a room.

"Do you guys have noisy neighbors?" Nico asked. Both looked at him questioningly.

"No, we don't. Why did you think we did?" Cecil said curiously.

"I heard a thump come from that room over there." Nico nodded towards it.

"That's the closet we store extra bed sheets in." Lou stood up and walked over to it. "If a bed sheet fell, there wouldn't be a thump." The two boys stood up, too. Cautiously opening the door, Lou felt fear rising inside of her.

* * *

Will knew that his wound was infected. Staying in a dusty closet would not exactly be ideal with a stab wound. Will also knew that with every passing second, his pain was growing. He had gotten used to having the cloth in his mouth and not being able to move, but the pain was too much to not get used too.

**Description ahead.**

Bruises lines along his body. His shoulders had purple circles from the grip of Luke's fingers, his leg had yellowing bruises from being tossed in the closet, and the bruises purpling his broken arm from being smashed into the closet wall.

His arm, the bone jutting out of the skin, was positively broken. The arm itself was in jagged angles, like mountains of pain. Not being able to bring himself to even look at it, Will tried not to think about his arm.

His head, pounding, either had a concussion or the skull had a small fracture. It was like he was in a band, but his head was used as the drum. He felt like it was being repeatedly smashed with a baseball bat, and he could do nothing about it.

His gut, the flesh ripped open, had dried and fresh blood coming out, undoubtedly hurt the most. He tried hard to ignore it, but it was impossible. When he tried to move or even breathe, he was reminded of the pain in the very center of his stomach. How he had not died from blood loss or passed out from the hammering pain he did not know.

**Description done. Summary: his wounds really suck.**

From the adrenaline of the night before, he didn't notice that his ankle was twisted, maybe broken, but that was the most minor of his injuries. He laughed quietly, not being able to stop it, at the situation he was in. Of course, he was reminded of the pain with that foolish chuckle. The cloth was still stuffed in his mouth because he couldn't grab it and take it out. He had laughed because this was like a movie. A bully had broken into his house and now he was battling to survive. He faintly wondered how the movie would end. Would the bully emerge victorious? Or would the victim survive?

Will didn't know how many hours had passed. Maybe it had been one, maybe it had been twenty. Will guessed it was about eight to ten hours since he was hurt, judging by how fast each wound progressively got worse, and Will had one person to be blame for this. _Luke._

Will had not been angry until that moment. He had been too high on adrenaline, the fear that Luke would come back and kill him, and the hope someone would find him. He had tried to call upon the tendrils, but he just couldn't work up enough anger. Now, he was just angry. He tried to control it, but while, hot tendrils seeped out of him. A few had thumped against the wall pretty loudly. Will, now not as emotional, saw his tendrils disappear from lack of anger. He was sweating how from both exhaustion and pain. Even when at full energy, using the power was tiring. Hoping someone had heard his plea for help, he waited until he heard Lou.

A muffled Lou was just outside the door. From her tone, it seemed she was afraid. After all, hearing a random thump from a closet was a bit scary. Will kept praying and praying to whoever was out there that Lou would open the door. He had tried to give a weak croak, but even that was too tiring. He waited for his rescue.

* * *

Lou started to open the door, scared of what was inside. Nico and Cecil had moved behind her, bracing themselves for the worst. A robber, maybe. A murderer. Maybe it wasn't even a human. Maybe it was just a rat who had fell from the top shelf.

_Yeah, that's probably what it is._ Lou convinced herself. _We're just making a big deal out of nothing. _Lou's thoughts didn't work for her emotions though. She was still as nervous and terrified as ever. Slowly opening the door, her breathing increased.

* * *

Will saw light spilling into the darkness surrounding him? Someone was opening the door. Someone was going to save him. Will let his hope fly. He tried to keep it at bay, telling himself he was being too optimistic, but now, he broke the dam that kept his hope at bay.

* * *

Cecil tensed behind Lou. Nothing would happen to her on his watch. Nothing.

* * *

Nico watched nervously at the door. What was behind is? Was 'it' even a 'what'? Was 'it' a 'who'?

* * *

Will closed his eyes at the blinding light flooded into the confined closet. He heard a sob erupt from Lou, an 'Oh gods' come from Cecil, and silence come from Nico. He slowly opened his eyes to the three standing above him. He felt kind of awkward despite the serious situation. Using the last of his energy, he said five words so quiet that each only barely heard.

"I'm gonna black out now." Then the world went dark for the young, blue-eyed boy.

* * *

Nico watched as Lou opened the door, revealing a broken Will Solace. His right arm was twisted in angles that an arm should not go. A pool of blood gathered beside him, staining his blue shirt and jeans. His ankle was also in a different angle, looking broken or twisted. There was also a gigantic stab in his gut, blood still trickling out of it.

His normal, shining blue eyes were glazed over with pain. His golden hair as bright as the sun was ruffled and had a pool of red gathered in one spot. Nico heard a sob come from Lou as she fell to the ground, tears streaming down her face. Cecil stood like a statue, silent tears coming down his face in rivers, whispering "Oh gods." Nico was shocked. He couldn't process what was happening until a thought struck him like lightning when he heard Will whisper:

"I'm gonna black out now."

_Will was dying._

Nico jumped into action. He found the house's landline, quickly dialing the three-digit number that would take them to the police. He held the phone up to his ear with a trembling hand, and a kind, female voice answered him.

"911, what's your emergency?"

"We just found our friend in a closet. He's stabbed near the stomach, his arm is broken, his head is bleeding heavily, and his ankle is banged up." The lady, obviously a trained professional, asked Nico a couple more questions on where they were, who was "we," what their names were, and if they knew what happened. Nico answered every question. The lady asked if Nico could stay on the phone, but this was the one time he was insubordinate.

"Could I call my friends' mothers? I want to tell them what we just found," Nico asked with a shaky voice.

"Yes, but make sure you call again."

"I will, ma'am." Nico rushed over to where Cecil and Lou were. The two were a mess. Nico couldn't cry now. He had to be strong.

"Lou, Cecil, I need Will's mom's number. I know, it's hard. It's really hard, but we need to help." Lou, sobbing, with a shaky voice, dialed the number for Nico. It rang two or three times before Nico heard a friendly voice.

"Hello?"

"Hi, Ms. Solace. I- uh- have some bad news." Nico's voice was shaking horribly. He was on the verge of tears, and he hadn't cried in over six years. Will's mom immediately was worried. She knew from the VERY brief interaction she had with Nico that he was tough.

"Nico, honey. What happened?" And, so, Nico told her, hurt, pain, and grief seeping into his words. He controlled his tears, not letting one fall. He knew it would happen anytime soon. Will's mother started sobbing when she heard what Will looked like. Nico almost broke when he heard it.

"I have to call the police back, Ms. Solace. They'll be here any minute, so you can meet us at the hospital. I'll send you the address from my mobile." Before he ended the call, Nico heard Ms. Solace speak.

"Thank you for saving my son, Nico." Then, she ended the call.

* * *

A pounding knock came from the door just three minutes after Nico called the police station back.

"Nico," the phone said. "You're brave and strong to do this for your boyfriend." Nico flushed despite the gravity of the situation. "Those are the paramedics I sent you."

"We're not together, ma'am, but thank you."

"Oh! Sorry. I hope everything is okay with Will. It sounds like you really care about him." Nico smiled, said thank you once more, and ended the call. Running to the door, Nico unlocked it. Paramedics rushed in the apartment, and Nico showed them where Will was. Loading him onto the stretcher, the paramedics asked the trio if they wanted to come. All of them, knowing if they spoke, they would burst into tears, nodded. Following the team holding will carefully, the three hopped in the ambulance.

They could tell the paramedics were holding back some of the truth that Will was not in a too serious condition because they were going well over thirty miles the speed limit and ran all the reds. The three spotted Martha, Sophia, and Naomi waiting, tear stains on their cheeks, in the waiting room. They all gasped when they saw Will's condition. He had grown pale, which was hard with the boy's natural tan.

The doctor told them Will needed emergency surgery, sending everyone except Nico into heart-wrenching sobs and cries of despair. Nico made a plan to call all their friends and inform them what was happening. Nico retold the story many times, and everyone right after he was finished was already in a car driving to the hospital. In the next hour, Percy, Jason, Annabeth, Piper, Leo, Thalia, Calypso, Frank, and Hazel arrived at the hospital, some of them crying and some of them about to.

They all greeted Naomi, Martha, and Sophia with tear-filled hugs. Lou and Cecil were hit _hard._ They were like brother and sister with Will. They were best friends. They couldn't be separated. If Will…no. They wouldn't think like that. He would make it.

The group also knew that Nico was hurting under his stoic exterior. He was hurting as much as Lou and Cecil. Maybe even more. Although Nico knew Will for shorter, he had a different sort of connection with him. Something deeper. Nico sat up in the waiting room of the hospital, looking at his friends spread around, sleeping in chairs. He wandered around the halls, finding a secluded spot in a long hallway. Sitting down, he slowly felt hot tears flowing down his face.

He vowed a long while ago he wouldn't cry unless something as bad as Mama and Bianca dying happened, and this was as close as he would get. His silent, aching sobs filled his mind. He couldn't stop. Letting go of six years' worth of tears was exhilarating but exhausting at the same time. He felt his eyes grow heavy and decided to walk back to the waiting room.

Sitting down in an empty chair next to Hazel, Nico looked at the time. 3:02pm. They had been in the hospital since around 11:00am, and Will was still undergoing his surgery. First, they had to spent two hours figuring out how it got so infected, how it actually happened, and how to perform surgery on the wound. Now, they had figured it out, and Will has been in surgery for almost 2 hours.

With worrying thoughts of Will and what would happen, Nico drifted to a restless sleep, slightly tossing and turning. He woke up hours later to see a doctor, bags under her eyes, walking towards them. She had a smile on her face. Nico didn't know what to take of that. She could be delivering horrible news and trying to give the grieving group of people some joy or she could actually be happy with how the procedure went. Nico glanced at the time. 7:07pm. He had slept for four hours?

He had woken up first, even before the three moms. Jumping up to wake everyone, Nico shook everyone awake. Some forgot they were in the hospital for a second, their worries gone, but they quickly realized, the gravity of the situation setting in. They all wore hopeful expressions, each wishing that Will was okay. That everything would be okay.

"Well, looks like everybody's up!" The doctor said, smiling. Everyone held their breath at the words the doctor, who had just performed a life-changing surgery, would utter. Hands were fumbling with whatever they could find, fresh tears replacing the dry ones flowed down everyone's' eyes, and hands were being clutched in one another's. The doctor, her smile not wavering, said words that made everyone cry even more.

"The surgery was a success. We managed to stop the internal bleeding from the appendix by removing it. Will is going to live, but he still had a concussion and broken arm and ankle. Still, with the proper medical treatment, he will come out of this with only a few scars." Tears of happiness ran down everyone's faces. People were hugging and smiling for the first time in hours. Nico, his usual gloomy demeanor melted, started joining in on the celebration.

The doctor also said they wouldn't be able to see Will until the meds wore off, which would be in about six hours **(A/N I know the timings don't seem right, but go with it, please)**. Laughing and cheers flooded the waiting area, Nico joining in on a few hoots and hollers. Soon, they would all be able to see Will. Soon, Nico would see Will.

* * *

Will was greeted from his long slumber by more blinding light. He faintly remembered Lou finding him stuffed in a closet, blood everywhere. He wondered where he was. Groaning, he tried to lift himself up and realized that was too much to ask of his drowsy body. He looked to his right, seeing a machine with a line that kinda looked like a mountain. Glancing down, he saw a tube hooked up to another machine, something being pumped into him. His brain was too tired to recognize any of the machinery his normal, rested brain would.

He tried again to sit up, slightly rising only to flop back down. By then, he figured he was in a hospital. But where were the doctors and nurses? His silent question was answered when he heard a knock on the door and it creaking open. It was a nurse smiling widely.

"Hi, Will. I'm Kathy. I'm the nurse who's been taking care of you. I know your probably very drowsy from being under heavy medication for so long, but I was wondering if you would tell me about how your injuries came to be and some other questions I have." Will nodded.

"My first question is: Do you remember your past? Memories, thoughts, experiences, anything like that." Will recalled everything up until the day he got stabbed. When even was that? What day was it? Did he miss school? Where were his family?

"Yes, I do." Will's throat felt weird. Everything felt weird. Numb. That was it. His mental state slowly returning to his normal one, he thought that it was probably the meds doing their job.

"Good. That's very good." He saw out of the corner of his eye that she was writing things down on a notepad. "Could you tell me what happened to get your wounds?" Will gulped. He really didn't want to relive the bad memories, but he toughened up and told her what had happened. From Luke's display at school, to the party, to seeing the boy standing there with a knife, about to stab Will, he explained, his hand shaking.

"Thank you, Will. I know that was probably very hard to do." Will nodded. It really was. "Now, I'm going to bring your family and friends in. I'll bring them in groups of five or six to not give you too much stress. Then, you can have one on ones with them to talk. It that okay?" Will tried to nod but found out quickly that it would be too painful. He mumbled a 'yes,' instead.

After about ten minutes, the nurse came back with Lou, Cecil, Martha, Sophia, and his very own mother. They all smiled, tears slowly trickling out their eyes. The five pushed their way through the door and into Will's room. Will heard a sob erupt from his mother as she saw his injuries. It was absolutely horrible to see her son in such a condition.

Will had bruises lining his arms, one of them hidden by a cast. They couldn't see his stab wound since it was hidden under a hospital gown, which was probably for the best. His head was covered in gauze, red peeking through the light beige of the wrap. The family was informed of how Will obtained his wounds. Everyone was.

The nurse had walked up to them, a somber look on her face and told them what happened. Everyone simmered with rage, some punching a chair, some cursing under their breath, and some hiding their emotions, but all were furious. Silent, angry rivers streamed down some faces and others were dry, holding the tears back.

When Lou, Cecil, and the mothers walked in, Will smiled widely and happily for the first time in hours, which was unusual for his cheery and sunny personality. Lou and Cecil ran up to his bedside, apologizing profusely, cursing themselves for not protecting him. Will glared at them.

"Will you two quit it?" Lou and Cecil looked at him, shocked. Shouldn't he be mad? "You guys didn't even know he broke into our home. I didn't even know he was there. You guys are too hard on yourselves. I got a bit banged up, but with proper treatment, I'll be fine." Lou and Cecil just nodded. Soon, they started talking like how they used to, laughing and smiling, but the three didn't notice the moms outside of the room, staring at a piece of paper. The bill.

It was too much. They could never pay it off. How could they pay 40k and pay it back in the span of who knows how long? The surgery required rare tools and many nurses and doctors to work overtime. The money also covered what Will would need in the future to be healthy and himself again. The mothers couldn't deprive him of that. What were they going to do?

Nico was wandering around the hospital hallways again. He found it to be relaxing in a strange way. Soon, he stumbled upon Lou, Cecil, and Wills' moms. He saw worried and scared looks on each of their faces, all of them huddled over a piece of paper. Was it about Will? Was he okay?

Deciding to go up and ask if they were okay, Nico walked up to them, clearing his throat for them to acknowledge his presence. The three looked up at him, too tired to mask their concerned expressions.

"Are you guys okay?" Ms. Solace sighed.

"You guys are too old for us to be masking the truth, so might as well tell you. The hospital bill…it's too much. We can't pay it, but if we don't, Wills' wounds could worsen." Nico stared at the door he guessed Will was behind. Nico had failed when he was supposed to protect Will. Now, he promised to never let a scratch get on Will.

"I can take care of the bill." The moms gaped.

"Nico, we can't let you go that. It's too much money. It's so much, Nico. We'll figure everything out. It'll be hard. It'll be tough." Ms. Solace seemed to falter. She knew she couldn't do it. It was impossible even with the help of Martha and Sophia.

"Ms. Solace, I can. My dad is loaded. He definitely has enough money for this and really doesn't pay attention to all the cash he's earned over the years." Ms. Solace thought this through.

"Nico…Are you sure?" Nico didn't hesitate.

"I've never been surer in my entire life." That was more than enough to show the moms two things. One, Nico was an amazing boy. Two, both boys liked each other. Now, Will hadn't formally come out to the moms, but they knew. Moms always knew. And when the those two did get together, Naomi wanted Will to know that he should never let go of Nico. Ever. She already thought of the other boy as her own, and, hopefully, soon, he would truly be. Of course, Nico would still have to get the mandatory "you hurt my kid, you pay" speech, too, but she was getting ahead of herself. Now, Will needed to get better.

Tears welling up in the moms' eyes, they all surged forward hugging him. Naomi, water trickling slowly out of her eyes from sheer relief, whispered softly.

"Thank you, Nico. Thank you."

* * *

Will watched as his family walked out of the room. Well, now that he thought of it, his friends were his family. They stayed with his always, like family. They made sure he was okay even when he was at his lowest, like family. In fact, they weren't just "like family," they were family. Will stared at the door he knew that would open with his friends rushing in.

Voices clouded the hallway outside the room. A nurse shushed them (Will assumed that after that she scolded them), and the door opened. He saw Percy, Jason, Annabeth, Piper, Leo, Thalia, Calypso, Frank, Hazel, and Nico rush in. It looked like the nurse couldn't split them up. Will smiled at them, waving.

"Hey, guys! Whatcha up to?" Piper and Annabeth stood there, shocked. Hazel, Calypso, Leo, and Frank were beginning to get a bit annoyed, but Jason, Percy, and Thalia looked angry. Very angry. Nico, Nico was beyond peeved, but he held it in, his hands shaking. Thalia started her rant.

"'Hey, guys.' _"'Hey, guys?!'_ Will, you just got jacked up, and your _damn _response is 'hey, guys!' What the hell, Will?!" Will looked stunned. What on earth was happening? His mouth automatically went to his normal response to swearing.

"Language." No one even heard him. Next, Jason started pacing the room.

"Will, are you okay? I mean, you got mauled, dude. We…we should've made the plan better. We could've prevented this. We could've saved you." Will…Will didn't know what to say.

"Jason, nothing you could've done would've stopped this. Luke…he would have found a way somehow. We all know he's a psycho. Now, I just have to get better, and everything will go back to normal." Percy sat down, deep in thought.

"But it won't be. Will, you're in real danger, now. We contacted the police, Mr. Chiron, anyone, and nobody knew where Luke went. He's on the run and dangerous. You need protection. All of us know he's after you. He…he has a thing for Annabeth and would never hurt her." He said that through gritted teeth. "And the rest of us, he never really encountered. You are his target."

Annabeth stared tearfully at Will. She walked to his bed and grasped his hand. It was cold.

"Will, promise me. Promise me you'll let us keep you safe. We can't lose you. You're the sun of our group and bring peace and warmth to it. You keep us safe with all your doctoring, but the sun also needs to be taken care of." Will gulped. Hazel, Piper, and Calypso had also made their way up to the bed. They all pleaded with him. Hazel wiped a tear away.

"Will, please." Will looked around the room. Everyone had eyes on him, encouraging him to say those two words. He saw a pair of obsidian eyes boring in to him, making his face flush slightly, but no one took notice. He saw them, pleading with him silently and convincing him more than words.

"I promise." Scanning the room, Will noticed everyone's tired eyes. Did they stay up through the night? Did night even pass? He noticed one pair of eyes in particular had large circles under them. Will and Nico locked gazes. Did Nico stay up for him? Then, it hit them, both blushing when they realized that they were staring at each other. Of course, this didn't go unnoticed by Percy and Jason, who both "shipped the two more than the sea," whatever that meant.

They slowly spread the news, and the entire group, except Nico and Will, decided to leave the two alone.

"Well," Jason announced loudly. "I'm gonna go get coffee. Piper, would you like to come with me?" Piper nodded.

"We should bring Annabeth and Percy to…uh… discuss things about being…human beings." Piper may have been great at convincing people to do things, but she was not great at convincing people of lies. Annabeth and Percy rolled with it, walking out of the room with the other couple. Now, it was Thalia's turn.

"I'm gonna go to the restroom." Hazel and Calypso both nodded.

"I need to go, too," Hazel said.

"Same," Calypso agreed. All three of them walked to the restroom, cackling so quietly to themselves, relishing that "Solangelo" would be real. Now, everyone in the group vowed to get the two together. Jason and Percy had really gotten to everyone in the group about Solangelo, including the two other boys standing in the room. Leo and Frank both said they were heading off to the vending machine since they were hungry. Soon, Will and Nico were the only ones left in the room, still slightly blushing from their stare at each other. Will cleared his throat.

"So…what day is it?" Nico's eyes widened, and he laughed.

"It's Saturday."

"Do you have the time?" Looking down at his watch, Nico answered.

"2:43am." Will's jaw dropped. They had all stayed there for so long?

"Whoa. Did you guys get any sleep? Did you eat? I swear to the gods…If you people didn't eat, I will personally call the nurses to bring me a fudging Thanksgiving meal in this room and force feed you. From what I see you eat at school, your meal mainly consists of junk food- and it's not even that much. You're probably malnourished. I'll force you to eat some fruit, vegetables, and protein. When did you get your last physical? I can check you out if you want." As soon as Will uttered those last eight words, he knew he royally screwed up. **(A/N did anyone go to make sure it was eight?) **Blushing, Will stuttered out a clarification, though not a strong one.

"I mean- not check you out. I meant for medical purposes. I read a lot, y'know? Why would I want to check you out? Wait- that's not what I meant. I think you're good looking and stuff, but I meant medically. To make sure you're healthy. Don't get me wrong- I do think you're a looker. Wait- no! I mean…Yes?" Will ended his little…who knows what it was. At the end, both were red, fire creeping up their faces.

"Y-yeah. I know what you meant." Will groaned _hard_ on the inside. Did he really friggin admit he thought Nico was a "looker?" _Who in the heck says "looker" anymore? _As both recovered, Nico cleared his throat.

"We all ate a sandwich for dinner, got about 4 ½ hours of sleep, and my last physical was about six years ago. I think it was in October," Nico whispered, but Will could hear. Will forgot completely about his injuries, jumping up to a sitting position, surprised and a bit angry by what Nico had said. He was soon reminded of them, his head pounding his skull for his stupidity and his gut piercing him with pain. Groaning, Will leaned against the headboard. Three short blasts from the machine to Will's right sounded in the room.

Nico scurried to Will's side, worry flooding his eyes. He quickly glanced at the vibrating machine with the peaks of lines reaching red. That could not be good.

"Solace, are you okay? Oh gods, should I call a nurse? Why'd you go and do that? I swear… you're going to kill me one day. I'm gonna go get a nurse." Before Nico could run out of the room, Will grabbed his arm. Nico reddened at the contact, but Will didn't notice. Holding up a grey control, Will said:

"It's okay. I have a button I can push, Sunshine." Nico noticeably got redder, making Will laugh. Of course, Will thought it was because Nico forgot that there was a button and not because of that damned nickname. "You didn't know, did you?"

"I did. I just forgot?" Will's laughter filled the room. To Nico, it was like angels singing. He decided that he always wanted to hear that wonderful sound.

"Just push the damn button, Solace." Will, recovered from his laughing fit, nodded but not without a slight smirk and a still blushing Nico and pushed the button. Then, he remembered he needed to say something of the utmost importance to Nico.

"Language."

* * *

"Everything looks good!" The nurse had arrived only minutes later when Will had pushed the grey button. He had checked the machine and figured out that it was just alerting people in the room that Will needed to "chill out," as the nurse had put it.

"Just make sure you don't move suddenly or get to worked up. It could disrupt the healing process or even make the injury worse. Your blood pressure could go up, and that could make you want to move. When your other family and friends get back, Will, make sure to tell them." Nico, sitting worriedly in the chair next to Will, sighed in relief. The nurse said his goodbyes, exiting the room.

"You heard that, Solace? No sudden movements. Meaning, no getting so riled up that you feel the urge to randomly sit up."

"Fine, Sunshine." Nico nodded, trying hard to suppress a blush, which was very hard when Will also said his nickname for Nico while looking at him with those damn sky-blue eyes that he could just dive into forever. Then, Will was hit with a thought that send his mind tumbling down a hill and heart plummet. With panicked eyes, he turned to Nico who looked at him nervously.

"Nico, we didn't do the gosh darn fricking English project. It's due on Monday! TWO DAYS!" **(A/N I'm pretty sure in the chapter where they got the project, I said it was due in two weeks, but just for the sake of me not wanting to figure out dates because I'm lazy****, let's just say it's due Monday.) **

Nico honestly couldn't not laugh. One, Will honestly never swore (he was so losing that bet, wasn't he…?). He used "gosh," "darn," and "fricking" in the same sentence and didn't even sound like he thought of using their replacements. Two, he was such a DORK. He was worried about a school project after being stabbed. Stabbed. Who in their right mind worries about that? Will Solace, that's who. Three, the look of pure terror on his face. Didn't he realize they would get more time on the project because of their…unique situation?

Will looked at Nico, exasperated. How could be not understand the gravity of the situation? Nico, he knew for a fact, also cared about his grade no matter how aloof he seemed. Soon, Nico stopped laughing, wiping tears from his eyes.

"Nico, that project is worth so much of our grade! Oh my gods, we're gonna fail that class and have to redo junior year. I'm so sorry, Sunshine. Frick, frick, frickity frack." Nico had to smile at the "frick, frick, frickity frack." Will honestly had the soul of a small child, and it was adorkable.

"You do realize all the teachers will give you extra time on all assignments, right? Solace, you got stabbed! If they didn't, Mr. Chiron would definitely make them."

"Oh, right." Will, his face reddening, looked down at his fiddling hands.

"Solace, chill. You can't get to worked up. You heard what the nurse said," Nico said, a worried look hidden behind his amused expression.

"Ok, ok, Sunshine." Nico had almost mastered the skill of hiding his blush by looking away now. Will made him blush so much that he had figured out how to suppress it. Then, Will realized something else.

"You guys didn't freaking sleep or eat much! Going on 4 ½ hours of sleep and one sandwich is not that much for the whole day. I should call a nurse. You guys are going to get so much food and sleep. I will make sure you peop-"

The door opened, revealing the whole group walking in. Nico quietly thanked the gods he didn't have to embarrass himself even more with Will but was slightly disappointed he and Will wouldn't be alone anymore.

"Thank the gods! Will was getting into another one of his famous rants." The group all looked from Nico to Will, looking for any signs that they had kissed or even confessed their feelings. Sadly, there was no blushing or stuttering. No fiddling or mumbling. Just the same to love-sick boys. Their plan had failed.

"What about?" Percy asked, trying to keep from screaming at the two for not professing their love.

"That we didn't eat or sleep much." Everyone rolled their eyes. Will's "doctoriness," as the group called it, always shone through at the weirdest moments. He overlooked himself and looked out for the health of everyone else.

"Of course, he did. We'll eat. Don't worry."

"Speaking of worrying, Will can't do that. He can injure himself more or disrupt the healing process or something. That's what the nurse said after you guys left to…wait." Nico glanced at the clock. "What in hell took 30 minutes to do? Some of you guys had to use the restroom."

"Language!"

Luckily, Annabeth had already thought of an excuse, saving the group of Percy and Jason yelling at the two oblivious boys about how they were perfect for each other. She was truly a hero- and genius.

"Well, Percy, Piper, Jason, and I ran into this man who needed help moving things into a room for a sick patient. We needed more hands, so we got the rest of the gang. It would have been like a three-hour job if we didn't get the others." Nico was still skeptical but let it go.

"Ok. Seems plausible."

"You guys still need to eat, though," Will said.

"You need to not be worried," Nico shot back.

"I'll not be worried if you eat, Sunshine." The whole group stopped breathing for a second. Will had a nickname for Nico?! _When the hell did that happen?_

"Fine, _doctorre sfigato_." Nico had a nickname for Will?! How did they just figure that out now? Trying not to squeal, Jason and Percy both excused themselves from the room, Piper and Annabeth knowing that they were gonna go fangirl outside. Soon, they came back, smiling widely.

Will called in a nurse and asked politely if she could get some meals for his friends, which she gladly obliged. Soon, the room was filled the aroma of pre-packed meals, but honestly, that was more than good enough for the hungry teens. The fragrance drew the moms, Lou, and Cecil in, and the nurse also brought some meals for them, too.

The whole room was filled with chatter and laughter as they ate their very, very late dinner or very, very early breakfast. Realizing they forgot about sleep, all watched the rising sun, color splashed around it like watercolor. A thought blazed across Nico's mind as he watched the room bustling with people.

Nico finally had a family. A home.

* * *

I know this chapter is a bit shorter than the last, but I had a busy week. The next one will be longer, hopefully. All depends on how much free time I have. Anyways, I hope you guys enjoyed the chapter! Stay tuned for another one. Stay golden!

-EscapingWriter


	7. Helpless

What's up? *random shout* No one cares. Get on with the story. *shout ends* Yeesh. Tough crowd. Well, I'm not gonna shut up, random person of my imagination. I have to thank someone. I wanted to give a shout-out to the person who reviewed my story! Thank you so much! You're my first review ever. It was really sweet and means the world. Anyway, here's the story! **Disclaimer: mentions of panic attacks/PTSD flashbacks. Warning will be provided.**

* * *

Chapter 7- Helpless

* * *

_3 weeks later_

"Wake up." Voices stirred around Will, seemingly targeting him.

"I swear…This had never happened before. Like ever." Who was that? Lou?

"It's already 10am, and he's still not up. This is so weird. Wake up, Will!" Percy?

"Damn. _Las drogas_ really got to him." Will groaned, his eyes blinking open, wanting to say something.

"Language, Valdez." Everyone stared at the boy, shocked, and started to laugh.

"What? What'd I do? Is it because I woke up late? It was one time, guys!"

"Only you, Will. Only you," Jason said.

"What in the world are you guys saying?"

"Only _you_," Piper said, poking Will in the chest. "Would wake up because of someone swearing to scold them." Will blushed a bit as everyone laughed at him.

"Well…screw you guys. You don't have to be so mean to me about it. I just got in a drug-induced sleep, and the first thing I wake up to is you guys swearing. Plus, I'm getting released today. We should be celebrating, but no, you guys just had to go and tease me. Thanks a lot. I have such amazing friends, don't I? Well…you guys are just plain old rude. You guys will always make fun of me, won't you?" Everyone just continued giggling and chucking at Will's rant.

"You just make it so easy, Solace." Everyone turned around to see Nico looking up from his book. Will glared at him, finally able to show how flustered he got at the boy's sudden appearances. It was a complex and VERY hard skill. It took almost two weeks to learn. For heavens' sakes…how did Nico get so attractive?

The two had spent a lot more time together since Nico came by to drop off some homework and help him with the lesson because they basically took the same classes. Unsurprisingly, both had only grown closer during the time Will had been in the room. That tiny, restricting room.

In the three weeks confined in one small, cramped room, Will's ADHD was out of control. His salvation to push through a few more weeks of being stuck in a bed and not jump out and start hobbling around like a madman was that his family would be coming to visit. Of course, that didn't stop his leg shaking and tapping the bed repeatedly. After all, one was in a _very_ itchy boot-cast thing that he could take off.

Speaking of moving, Will could do that now. The doctors, during the surgery, had given Will gigantic stitches to close the stab wound, which had given him excruciating pain in the beginning. Within the first few days of recovery, Will's pain had already disappeared, and he could move. He. Could. Move. It was amazing! Will never realized the joy and ability to actually move and not be confined to stay completely still for such a long, drawn out time, but it still wasn't enough.

Will was longing to feel the rush of wind against his face as he ran along those open fields under the shining sun. He wanted to jump so high he could feel the clouds against his face, but he couldn't. He was stuck in this stupid bed, wishing to go outside to freedom, but soon, he would be outside. Though, he couldn't run, or even walk for that matter. He would be stuck in a wheelchair for the two weeks. Then, he had to do re-hab for one of those weeks. Then, he had to wait another three weeks for both of his stupid casts to come off. And then, finally, he could go running again, but he had to be assisted.

He didn't know why he loved running so much. There was a liberty to it. A freedom. He did it on his own terms. Not for college. Not for a specific reason. Not for anyone. But himself. A loved the feeling he got from it. The feeling before. Excitement. Thrill. Wanting to run and run and run away but still finding your way back. The emotion during it. Passion. Determination. Knowing that he would push to get to one more mile, one more block, one more step. The feeling after. Coming down from your high, a smile on your face.

Glaring at Nico halfheartedly, Will looked away before the blush he was holding back took control of his face. He slightly muttered a curse in Greek and looked up to find obsidian eyes staring his way, amused.

"Screw you, Sunshine."

"Screw you, _doctorre sfigato_." Out of the corner of his eye, Will saw Lou and Cecil, smiles on their face, undoubtedly holding back from laughing. He shot a quick glare their way, silently telling them that once he's out and about, he was going to kill them. They quickly looked down, but a smile remained on their faces.

A knock tapped on the door.

"It's your oh-so-amazing mother, Will. Let us in, will you? Get it? 'Will you.' Like 'Will.'" Will groaned. He had never known "dad jokes." Only his mom's silly "mom jokes." They were honestly the worst. The worst part was she thought that they were hilarious. Absolutely amazing humor. No. The worst part was that his mom wasn't only his. She was Lou and Cecil's. They also had to go through that pain. Of course, Lou and Cecil had also groaned along with Will.

"Mo-om. Seriously?" Will said, shoving his face in a pillow to hide his embarrassment.

"Oh, c'mon, guys," Naomi said as she walked through the door, a suitcase rolling behind her. "You thought it was funny, right, Nico?" Nico smiled sweetly at her.

"Of course, Ms. Solace." Naomi smirked at Will.

"At least someone appreciates my jokes." Will sat up, turning around over to the side of the bed, his legs dangling on the floor and without knowing, worrying everybody.

"Where are Martha and Sophia?"

"They're stuck at work. I was able to slip out for an early lunch." Will nodded. They were working as managers of different chains of the café now. Work was blowing up for them. "Did everything with removing the stitches go well?" Will cracked his back, wincing at the sound.

"It doesn't hurt if that's what you're asking." Will looked at the hospital gown he had on. It was so ugly. The garish blue grey didn't complement any of his features, the cloth loosely hung while slightly clutching onto his sides, and he hated the way he felt in it. Helpless. Weak. Powerless. He couldn't wait to get out of it.

"Here's an extra pair of clothes, Will."

"Thanks, mom." Grabbing the pair of clothes, Will cleared his throat, silently asking all of them to leave so he could change. Will knew it was horrible to even think, but he was ashamed. Ashamed Luke got to him. Ashamed he didn't fight back. Ashamed of his scars. It was a terrible thought, but he couldn't stop being…well…human. He was only human **(A/N but I'm only HUMAAAAAN, and I bleed when I fall down. Did you get the reference?)**.

Everyone had left the room, and Will was there, alone. Tearing the gown off, he looked down at his body. His bruised, mangled body. The bruises on his arms and legs were slowly fading but still ever so clear on his skin. His arm was still encased by a black cast. It surprised everyone, really, that he chose black, but he knew his reason. His foot also had a boot-cast on it, but this one was white. People didn't know, but he did have a reason for the colors.

He glanced down to where he wanted to avoid looking at, but that glance soon turned to a stare. There was a hole in him. A hole lined with some dry blood. There would always be a hole. That hole that had nightmares of a fateful night, of Luke, of the sheer terror he felt, of the forlorn that consumed him. A hole in his mind.

The stab would had definitely gotten smaller thanks to brilliant doctors helping him. It was almost closed, only to leave a very faint scar line in his adulthood. His arm and ankle were set to heal well, and those casts would pop off in another five weeks. He was overjoyed to say the least.

He would be done. Done trying to hold back from grabbing a pencil, shoving it down his casts, and itching his peeling skin. Done not running anymore. Done from being treated like a broken vase. Well…maybe not that one. His family was so overprotective. Annabeth had arranged a schedule for taking care of Will until Luke was caught. Every person at school was on the lookout for him. Even Drew and Ethan, who didn't even know where Luke had gone or that he was planning to do this to their credit.

Will didn't know that he was known around the school for being- well… him. He was the sunshiny boy every student knew. If you were lost at the school, trying to find some friends, or even just upset, there was Will, standing in front of you and cheering you up. Even teachers were keeping an eye out. Will was in the favorite list of many teachers **(A/N I don't buy into that stuff teachers say of "Oh…we don't have favorites." We all know you do, Ms. Smith)**.

New York was a big city, though. Luke could be anywhere. He was probably already out of the county. Heck, he could be out of the state. Or maybe even country. Luke was legally an adult at 18 ½. His parents, two deadbeat alcoholics, had no custody anymore, and they didn't even care about what Luke did. The two didn't pay for Will's hospital bill because the state gave some bullcrap reason of they didn't make enough. Well, neither did Will's parents! He assumed they were taking loans and working long hours.

Shaking his head to get out of his own mind, Will pulled a blue shirt over his head, slightly frustrated at how hard it was to jam his cast into that tiny arm hole. He looked over at the jeans he would have to get on, sighing. He unlatched his boot and ever-so-carefully tried not to brush his broken ankle to get his jeans on. He finally got then on with only a few winces of pain. Relieved at finally getting done changing, Will called for everyone to come back in fifteen minutes later.

"What took you so long, dude?" Percy questioned.

"Why don't you try shoving a cast and a broken angle into clothes?" Will fired back, a bit annoyed. "I'm sorry. Just a bit irritated that'll have to do that for the next five weeks."

"It's okay. Be happy that you're heading home in less than two hours." Will perked up at that news.

"Really?"

"Yep. The doctor just cleared you. You still have to be in a wheelchair and disinfect your wound for the next week," Piper added. Will hated disinfecting his wound. It felt like tiny little needles stabbing at him for a few minutes, but Will looked at the positive.

"Only a week?"

"Mmmhmm," she hummed. "Then a wheelchair for one more week after disinfection along with re-hab, and with your arm and leg free after another three weeks, you can run again! You are lucky that you did before or you would be stuck like this for another month." Will shuddered. That just gave him another reason to run.

"So, the doctor said that you'll get your cast off November 7th, and you could start running the day after," Jason said. "We'll have to go with you if he-who-shall-not-be-named is not caught." Will sighed. He knew it was for his own good or whatever, but that was his only time alone. It was his meditation. Praying to all the Greek gods he knew, he hoped that Luke was caught by then.

* * *

Spreading his arms to the fresh air after he reached the outside of the hospital building, Will started laughing uncontrollably in his wheelchair, making Nico, the poor boy who was voted unanimously to push Will, start laughing, too.

"I'm FREEEEEEEE!" Will sang. "But I'm not free falling because that would be stupid." He didn't say he wouldn't add to the lyrics. Of course, his voice was still beautiful. Nico didn't think Will knew that he was actually good at singing. Like really good. Like perfect.

"Will, shhhhh. We are still near the hospital," Nico berated but knew he wouldn't be heard as Will entered another fit of irrepressible laughter. Naomi had rented a van that could actually hold Will and his wheelchair, which had been paid for by Nico unbeknownst to Will. The group hauled Will in there as he continued singing to himself. As everyone got situated in the gigantic van that could hold all sixteen people. Will dozed asleep during the long car ride back to the apartment.

"I think the effects of the drugs are kicking in now," Nico laughed. He had gotten a hell of a lot better at doing that. And smiling. And being happy in general. Sounds of agreement filled the van.

"Did you guys hear him laughing all the way back? I honestly thought he was going to fall out," Hazel said.

"I also heard that someone else was laughing, too," Annabeth said, nudging Nico with her shoulder.

"Yeah, I was. So what?" Nico shot back, trying to appear nonchalant.

"Oh, nothing. Just you don't seem to laugh at anything, but with only a giggle, Will seems to make you laugh harder than we've ever seen you," Frank added.

"Yeah, di Angelo. Will seems to make you laugh even all drugged up," Thalia noted. Calypso nodded in agreement.

"True, Nico. When are you just gonna tell him?"

"It's…it's complicated." Jason couldn't hold it in any longer. Both boys were just too oblivious of each other's feelings. It was insane.

"No, it's not. I can't hold it in any longer, guys. Nico, Will has a cr-" Piper lunged to Jason, covering his mouth with her hands.

"A craniofacial injury. He got an injury in the general face area but now, it's gone," Annabeth cut in. Nico looked at Jason for a second and back to Annabeth, sighing.

"Now, I'm not an idiot. I know you people," Nico said, gesturing to the van. "Are hiding something, and maybe one day, I'll find out. That day is not today, so for now, I'm dropping it. I can't voice 'for now' enough." The group all glared at Jason with Percy silently cursing him for almost ruining their prized ship.

"What in the gods names are you guys talking about?" Naomi asked, glancing into the mirror to check on them and just a tad distracted from driving.

"Nothing!" Leo quickly answered. "Absolutely nothing."

"Sure. Okay. Totally believable," Martha said, sarcasm dripping from her words.

"Are you guys talking about Will?" Sophia asked, making everyone's mouth gape. Nico was completely mortified.

"How did you know?"

"You people have absolutely no idea how to whisper. It amazes me every day," Sophia said, stretching her arms. "Plus, we know you have a thing for Will."

"Mo-om. Do you have to embarrass me, too? I'm suffering back here as you interrogate my friend about his love life."

"Yes, dear. It's mandatory. We signed a contract that said we have to embarrass you. Daily."

"Er…I am appreciative, and a bit creeped out you guys are interested in my relationships, - or rather lack of relationship." Nico fiddled with his shirt. "But why are you guys not going all protective-mom-who-will-break-your-face mode on me?"

"You two aren't in a relationship, right?" Nico's blush increased ten-fold, his pale olive skin hidden under the red.

"Yeah."

"Then, you're fine. For now." Nico's mind rung with those words.

_For now._

He wasn't going to get together with Will. Will probably didn't even like him that way. Impossible. Why would Will even consider him to be a likely partner? He couldn't like him, but his voice of hope was unrelenting.

_What about outside of the apartment building? Hm? _It rebutted.

_He was tired! He doesn't even remember…probably. _

_Tired or bold from sleep?_

_ Oh, screw y-_

Interrupting Nico's raging internal argument, Will groaned, cracking his aching neck. He really needed to not fall asleep in that position.

"Look who's up. Our very own Mr. Future-doctor-who-got-injured-and-can't-heal-himself-like-his-future-patients," Leo teased.

"That's quite the nickname, Leo, but if you call me that one more time, you're the one who won't be able to heal."

"Someone's cranky," Cecil said, a smirk on his face.

"Well, this 'someone' is basically helpless for the next five weeks."

"At least you get extra study hall during P.E?" Hazel offered, trying to cheer Will up.

"Oh my gods. How did I not realize this? Will's not gonna be able to practice archery. Coach Artemis is gonna kill you," Thalia snorted.

"Shut up, Pinecone Face. He doesn't want to hear it," Percy whisper-shouted to her.

"I swear to the gods… If you don't stop calling me that, I'm gonna kill you."

"The day you stop calling me 'Kelp Head' is the day I stop calling you 'Pinecone Face.'"

Annabeth sighed, knowing those two would be arguing like two lawyers in a court room.

"When my boyfriend stops being an idiot, we'll all take you to _Sarsa's_. You deserve something amazing to eat." Will immediately cheered up at that.

_Sarsa's_ was this amazing restaurant. It had food from all over the world from your classic American burger and fries to handmade, authentic Italian ribollita to rich Greek taramasalata. It was amazing to experience so many different cultures in such a small amount of time. People from all over came to this place. The owner had at least one waiter/waitress each that could speak one major language of the world. This restaurant welcomed all and helped Will see the world from New York.

Will loved that he had even picked up some languages ranging from Hindi to Spanish to Chinese. His dream was to make sure that his own practice could be like the restaurant. Accepting of all and opening its doors to everyone.

"Really? Phew. I thought I was going to have to look forward to a test or something." A question arose from that statement. "When am I going back to school, mom?"

"The doctor says you're cleared for tomorrow. You have a lot to catch up on, don't forget." Will cursed (of course he thought of frick as a curse word) internally.

"Sunshine, when do you wanna get finished on that project?" Nico flinched slightly.

"I…um…maybe kinda finished it." Will felt guilt rack his conscience.

"You did all that work. I'm sorry. You didn't have to do that. I should've helped in the hospital." Will looked down at his hands, starting his mental rant of how stupid he was, but Nico knew what he was thinking.

"Solace, don't you dare get all, 'I'm so selfish for getting a damn hole in my gut.' I don't even want to think that you're telling yourself that. I barely even had to do anything. I literally had to finish one poem and the last four sentences of the essay. Then, boom, it was done. We'll present it together on Thursday, okay?" Will stared up at Nico.

"Yeah. Sure, Nico. Oh. Also, language." Will, hiding his blush, looked out the window, the mental lecture long forgotten and replaced with memories of Nico. Of meeting him. Of when he spilled all his secrets. Of practicing their powers and figuring out they could fly. Of his moments alone with him in the hospital. That was so much better than a silly talking-to.

* * *

"Home sweet home." Will rolled into the apartment, his arm and leg aching and silently thanked whoever created elevators. He needed that break after wheeling himself quite a bit. Will refused to be pushed and treated like a small, powerless baby, so he found a way to push the wheelchair on his own with a leg and arm. He would not be helpless and refused to take any help. The whole group all knew of his stubbornness.

_"No."_

_ "Will, it's not a big deal."_

_ "I said no."_

_ "You don't have to do it, y'know? We were just joking. You're going to be all tired and cranky. It's not a big deal."_

_ "I said that I will bake 1,000 cookies for the sophomore back sale, and with the heavens as my witness, I will!" Lou sighed. The group really didn't understand just how stubborn Will was until the next day when he barged into the classroom with Lou and Cecil. They had challenged him that he couldn't do it, and he proved them wrong. _

_ With dark circles and bags under his eyes, Will ran into the classroom, holding over ten sheets of cookies. Lou and Cecil both came in only seconds after holding several cookie sheets. Everyone, even Thalia who never showed surprise, had their jaws open._

_ "Are you guys gonna stand there or help me get the rest?"_

Reminiscing fondly and wistfully on the memory, his stomach protested, wanting to eat food and not just think of cookies. Will glanced at the clock hanging high in the kitchen. 12:54pm. Lunch time. Will wheeled himself over to the fridge that now loomed above him, reminding him of when he was five at had to reach up to grab the handles of the fridge.

**Please skip to next bold writing if you do not wish to see the description below (PTSD flashback/panic attack)**

He was hit with the sudden wave of cold air, sending goosebumps running across his skin. Seeing a shadow move to the left of him, he felt his heart quicken. Sweat started to gather on his forehead in dew drops. The world started to blur right before his very eyes. Hands shaking, sweat starting to glisten along his body, he remembered.

No, no, no.

_ "I don't know how you escaped from me." _

It isn't happening again. It's not.

_It is._

_A knife appeared, clutched in his hands, soon to be covered with red. _

Escape, Will. Escape.

_"But this should take care of you." Pain engulfed him, echoing in his mind, ringing and forth, and screaming a silent cry for help. Red soaked his shirt, dripping to the ground, as he sat there, helpless._

Why?

_A thud sounded his ears. Darkness surrounded him, suffocating him. The closet?_

Well, I guess I need to come out of the closet twice, _Will thought, trying to distract the growing panic and forlorn with humor but failing. It ate away at him. Gnawed at him. _

"Will, I'm here." Luke? It didn't sound like him.

_The closet disappeared. He was in…where was he? Luke walked forward, a sword and rope in his hands, but something was off. He had sun-kissed skin and sky-blue eyes. Apollo?_

"It's okay, Will. You're okay." Apollo?

_"No, I'm not. Ap-pollo. L-luke." Luke/Apollo advanced, smiling with maliciousness, revealing teeth soaked with blood. _

"Neither of them are here," the voice said, ringing from above. Calmness flooded Will's mind. A field popped into his mind. Blue skies. Trees. Green trees. "It's Nico." Wisps of light and darkness filling the setting sky. Below the infinite blue, there was endless green. Grass. "You're okay. You're safe." A soft breeze brushing him. Rays rained down from above. Sunshine. His Sunshine. "You're with me, Will." He sucked in a surprised breath. Nico called him his _first _name?

**Done. Summary: Nico helped Will overcome the flashback with calming words.**

Will's breathing calmed from being rushed and panicked. He slowly loosened his hold on his tightly shut eyelids and blinked his eyes open. Light rushing into his eyes, he saw a shape of a person. His eyes adjusting, his eyes met obsidian ones filled with worry.

"You okay, Solace?"

"Y-yeah. Just a bit shaken up." Will glanced around the room, thinking that he would see Luke waiting there. There was nobody but the two in the room. "Where is everybody?"

"We were going and getting some stuff for disinfecting your wounds and physical care. Also, some groceries your mom picked up earlier today. They wouldn't let me help, so I just came up here. I was basically forced not to help," Nico laughed. Even after the…whatever just happened, Will still laughed softly.

"Why did they not want you to help?" Nico couldn't tell him why. It was too…embarrassing? He didn't really know.

"No reason. They just said I should help you in case you fell out of your wheelchair or something." Will nodded but still took not to how Nico refused to meet his gaze when he was answering.

"Uh-huh."

"So, you good? What happened?" Will shifted in his wheelchair, clutching the arm rests with white knuckles.

"I think I remembered what happened that night. I saw this shadow and thought it was just a trick of the light, y'know? But it wasn't. It was Luke. Then, I was walking back to my room, and he got me. I think that I had a panic attack or flashback. Who knows?" Nico nodded, having experience with this. He used to have nightmares about Bianca. About the killers. They slowly went down in numbers, almost disappearing, but he still woke up in a cold sweat from the nightmares time to time.

"I know what's happening. They're like glimpses to the past but not a good past. Little spiky shards of horror-filled memories, but know that with each passing day, they loosen their hold. When Bianca first died, I had nightmares and flashbacks almost daily, but now, I have them rarely. Maybe only once or twice every two months." Will sucked in a breath. Part of him was relieved this would go away almost completely soon, but another was wishing that he didn't even have to endure a second of these nightmares.

"So, it'll get better." Nico crouched down. "It'll get so much better."

_It will be better. So much better. _

But a nagging thought still tore at Will's mind.

"I…I just don't want to be helpless. What if he comes back? What if…what if I'm stuck again? Stuck and helpless." Nico grabbed Will's hands, startling both of them into a small blush, but he didn't let go.

"Will, I won't let anything happen to you. Ever." Nico and Will's gazes were locked on each other. They were the only two in the world, the universe, in that moment. Slowly, with each passing second of silence, they moved closer and closer till they were only five inches apart.

Suddenly, the door crashed open, revealing a laughing hysterically Leo, Jason, Cecil, and Frank followed by the amused, angry, and damp Annabeth, Piper, Hazel, Calypso, Lou, and Thalia. The three moms followed shortly after, looking more pleased than annoyed. Percy was just soaking wet.

Nico jumped back, almost forgetting his and Will's moment. Almost. Will was in about the same place.

"What in the name of all that is good in the world did you people do?" Frank was the one who actually heard Will in the midst of chaos.

"Well, we were walking back from the car when Percy spotted this dog. We were all like 'aww, cute' until the dog turned and saw us looking at it. The owner was talking to some other person, and the leash fell. So, long story short, the dog chased us, - well not us. More like Percy - Percy ended up getting drenched in water from this fire hydrant and getting all the girls wet, and we all got some great pictures out of it." Nico groaned.

"And I missed this? I'm gone for literally ten minutes, and this happens?"

Frank just shook his head, smiling and heading went back to Ms. Solace handing Percy a towel. Percy had a goofy smile on his face as he tried to get Annabeth, who was a bit peeved at him, to give him her attention.

"Wise Girl, please. I said I was sorry."

"You don't look too sorry." She started walking away but was blocked by a certain black-haired boy. He looked at her with big eyes packed with affection and a hint of cheekiness.

"Please, Annabeth. I'm sorry." Annabeth's resolve broke ever so slightly but not enough to forgive the boy in front of her.

"No. No. I know you're not sorry." Percy grabbed her hands and brought them to his face. She could feel her will crumbling inside of her. Leaning in, Percy lightly kissed her cheek and looked back at her. Even he could see her resolve cracking in her stormy gray eyes.

"Please, love. I'm so sorry." Annabeth blushed externally but groaned internally. He really knew how to break her determination.

"Fine." Percy's eyes lit up brighter than New York. He scooped her up and twirled her around.

"Thank you, Wise Girl." Annabeth smiled.

"Always, Seaweed Brain." **(A/N There's some Percabeth fluff for you fellow shippers.)** Nico looked at the young couple full of love. He looked at them with three emotions: hope, longing, and joy.

He wished that he would have the unadulterated love they had. It was refreshing to be in their presence as they radiated love and warmth to those around them. Hope was a strong emotion in Nico while he hoped for a relationship of his own. He truly wanted one, but alas, who would take him?

He longed for the comfort of a loved one even if he didn't show it. After all, he was known to hate all physical contact, but with a few choice people **(*cough* Will *cough*)**,it was uplifting. He wanted that touch forever.

And last, he was overjoyed that Percy had gotten a love of him own. Nowadays, he was so rarely sad, and when he was, you could count on Annabeth to be there, taking care of him through thick and thin. Annabeth had slowly become his rock in the years upon years Percy grew to know her. Without her, Nico really didn't know what Percy would do.

After internally aw-ing at the couple's tiny display of affection, Nico looked around the room at the chaos around him, catching snippets of conversation.

"-dn't say that! Leo did."

"-enclaw, obviously. What else could you be?"

"What? K-pop? What the hell is that?"

"Language!"

Nico spotted a certain blue-eyed boy talking with Hazel, Calypso, and Leo. Hazel and Calypso were looking at him like he was living under a rock. Will was just upset that he swore. Making all the conversation go silent, Ms. Solace was banging a pot and wooden spoon together.

"Now, I have thirteen hungry teenagers in my house. Here's how this is gonna work." After ten minutes of being forced into a single file line with plates and utensils in hand, everyone (excluding the moms) were waiting, hungry, for Ms. Solace's famous food. Nico had actually never had her food, making everyone gasp. The day he stayed here, he had take-out in the night and didn't have breakfast now that he thought of it.

Soon, everyone was sitting down, spread out in the living room. They all looked at Nico expectantly.

"What?" Will, sitting next to him, nudged his hand.

"You have to take your first bite." Nico rolled his eyes.

"Really, guys? We're going to make a production out of this?"

"Of course!" Jason exclaimed. "You haven't lived till you've eaten Ms. Solace's food." Still slightly annoyed, but more amused that irritated, Nico raised his fork up dramatically, waving it around with a flourish. Lowering it to the creamy pasta covered with traditional alfredo sauce, Nico sank his fork in, knowing his stomach would enjoy this. He brought the fork to his mouth, putting it in.

Flavor exploded in his mouth. Cheesy, rich goodness settled on his tongue, making his want to shovel this all into his mouth, but he held back. Déjà vu hit him like a ton of bricks. It tasted like his mom's. Reminding him of happy memories, he wasn't flooded with sadness or longing for her. That was new. Had he truly found a family?

He looked up to find Percy recording on his phone. Looking directly into the camera, he stated with absolutely no hesitation:

"This is the freaking best pasta I've ever had in years." Smiles erupted around him, and he saw out of the corner of his eye that Ms. Solace had let out a sigh of relief from the kitchen. His eyes locked on hers.

"I'm glad you like it, Nico."

"I don't like it, Ms. Solace. I love it." Ms. Solace went over to him with surprising speed and hugged him. For the first time in years, he didn't squirm or try to pull back. Instead, he wrapped his arms around her as he was reminded of him own mother. He pulled back ever so slightly.

"Thank you."

"No need for thanks. We're family!" Nico's heart did a weird flippy thing. What was _that_? Family was an old thing returned for him, but now he knew that it was truly returned. He had a family. An official family.

* * *

"I'll be fine. It's already really late. Go! Some of you people have a cross country, swim, and soccer- yes, I remembered, you people. The one on Sunday. As in tomorrow- game which you need to get up early for. Now, go!" Will was currently trying to usher ten people out into the hallway who really didn't want to leave.

"Be safe!" Nico said. He turned to Lou and Cecil, glancing at a schedule in his hand. "You two are on watch, right?"

"Yep," Cecil said. "Like two hawks." Will rolled his eyes.

"I'll be fine, guys. We got new locks everywhere and stuff. You people even checked it out! Now, bye, goodnight, and walk home safe," Will said as he closed the door on them, locking it before they could get back in. Luckily, they didn't try to break in to check on Will. Again.

"Finally. I'm beat." Will started to wheel over to his room, his arm and leg already sore after one day. At least when he was up and at 'em, his arm and leg would be in shape. Approaching the bed and wondering how exactly to get, hauled his body onto the bed, and after five minutes of struggling, he was comfortably tucked into the covers.

Glancing at his alarm clock, Will gaped at what was written on it. 10:38pm, Saturday, October 3rd. _It had been three weeks since being hospitalized?_ How had it been so long? After the first few days of being in that cramped room, Will lost all sense of time, not knowing what time or day it was.

_Knock. Knock. __Tap.__ Knock-knock. _

Cecil. That was their code that it was them entering the room, so Will didn't think it was someone trying to break in. He entered the room, yawning. Plopping on the bed with a thump, he stretched out before huddling into the warmth of his blankets.

"G'night, Will," Cecil said before falling asleep. Just as Will was going to respond, he noticed Cecil was out like a light. Seriously, in all the years Will lived with Cecil, he had never once witnessed Cecil stay up longer than five minutes after hitting that mattress.

Will stared up at the ceiling above, finally feeling safe. He was never going to admit this to his friends, but deep down inside, Will was so appreciative and thankful that all his friends were taking care of him. In truth, he was terrified Luke would get him while he was alone, but with them, Will would never be if they were still here.

Drifting to sleep with comforting thoughts of his friends, his family, he fluttered his eyelids shut, content with his life. Sure, he was confined to a wheelchair and he had casts encasing his arm and leg, but that would heal. That would be okay. Everything would be okay because he would never be helpless and alone with the friends and family he had.

* * *

Nico and Hazel walked toward the Hades cabin, laughing and talking about anything and everything. The two had grown as close as siblings in the few weeks they knew each other. Nico had already turned into the protective brother, death glaring Frank whenever he was too close to Hazel. Hazel had become a loving sister, laughing and making sure he didn't do anything stupid like almost fall into the school's pool, which he almost did.

Opening the door, the two entered the cabin, both soundlessly deciding that they were too tired to change into PJs and brush their teeth. Hazel fell into the bed, plummeting face first into the fluffy pillow and groaning loudly.

"I'm so tired," her muffled voice said. Nico rolled his eyes as her antics.

"So, go to sleep, ya dumbo." Hazel looked up at him, glaring half-heartedly.

"Know-it-all. Of course, I would. I was looking for a kind response from my brother, but no. I got a sassy, snarky response." Nico pouted.

"Oh, I'm sorry. Forgive me?" Hazel glanced back at him.

"Fine, but I won't forget this."

"Sure." Hazel, too tired to argue, just gave him the finger and slipped under the covers. Nico, smiling slightly, also went under the blankets.

"Goodnight, Hazel."

"Night, Nico."

Sighing softly, Nico slept more soundly than ever in the past few weeks, the stress of making sure Will would be okay lifted immensely. He undoubtedly would always carry a slight worry for the other boy, but that was okay. He was surprisingly fine with it. In fact, he enjoyed being worried for Will if that made any sense. He had someone to fight for. He had someone to love.

That shocked him. Love? He loved Will? He loved Will…? He loved Will. It sounded right. He, Nico di Angelo, son of Hades, loved Will, his dork. With those giddy-ridden thoughts, Nico slumbered away, a smile on his face even in sleep.

* * *

I'm sorry, I'm sorry. This chapter took longer than expected. I'm adjusting to a different schedule right now, so I'm very, very sorry if my chapters take longer to come out, but they will come every week, even if it's later in it.

Side note: I posted this chapter at like midnight. My sleep schedule is officially screwed.

Stay golden!

-EscapingWriter


	8. The Letter

Sorry in advance for this intro being kinda long. Let me just say: I freaking love you guys. You people are so supportive and kind of this story. I'm really glad you like it! I want to give a small shout-out to everyone that has followed/favorited/reviewed this story. To you people: It honestly means the world, and I can't believe you guys/gals/non-binary pals enjoy the story (did anyone get the reference?). So, to everyone who enjoys this story: _**Thank you**_. I hope you like this chapter, fellow peoples of the earth.

_Heads up: Cecil and Luke's' fathers will have no relation._

* * *

Chapter 8- The Letter

* * *

"Less than a week, Will." Alone in his room, Cecil snoring as loud as thunder, Will stared up at the ceiling, the first morning rays seeping into his room. Knowing that Cecil would not wake up for anything till Lou barged into the room more than an hour later, Will sighed loudly, letting his pent-up frustration out. He felt a pull inside him, the tendrils wanting to come out. He know he had to control it. Breathing in, he let calmness overtake his mind, making the whine of the tendrils in head lessen.

"Two days and you're out of this darned wheelchair." Will pivoted, squirmed, and flailed into his wheelchair. It was slightly tiring in the beginning, but now, now it was routine. He fell into his chair, a thump sounding. The alarm clock, sounding in over an hour (Cecil never woke up to it, which made Lou yell at him), on his desk shined the bright red characters: 5:31am, Thursday, October 15th.

Will wheeled his way to the bathroom, trying to be as quiet as possible for everyone who was asleep, but he couldn't control the creak of the wheel as it turned. Cringing slightly, he got ready, brushing his teeth, pulling desperately at his clothes to get off of his cast, carefully tugging his pants over his healing ankle, hobbling to the shower, and eventually, he was ready.

He wheeled out of his room, still wishing to stand up and run out the door as far as his heart's content. Though, he didn't. He knew if he did, he would have to handle fifteen angry faces yelling at him. So, to ease his boredom in the mornings, he picked up some hobbies.

Will had always had a love for cooking, so now, made breakfast for his family. Eggs, French toast, omelets, you name it. He made it. It was fun to tweak with the recipes to see which ones worked and which didn't. It was all science to him. The way things reacted if you added a certain ingredient. How much of something to put in to make a reaction arise. The formulas and how certain things tasted when adding it to another. It was all amazing to Will.

So, he continued his new hobby, cooking breakfast for his family. Just as he heard the _ding_ of his new pancake-infused breakfast muffin in the oven, he saw a letter slip under the door. Curious, he wheeled over to the door, bending down to grab it.

_**Will Solace**_

"I guess this is mine," he muttered aloud.

Ripping open the seal, he scanned the letter all over to find who it was from. There was no name.

_Who sends a letter without signing it?_

Turning over the letter, he began to read, his eyes growing wider and wider and breath growing faster and faster. Dropping the letter from shaking hands, he began seeing spots. He forgot how to breathe. Struggling to let air pass to his body, his eyelids fluttered. Darkness swarmed his vision. The light was gone.

* * *

Naomi woke with a groan, looking at the clock hanging precariously on a single hook. 7:06am. She had woken up late today. Swinging her legs over her bed, she got ready in a hurry, running out the door in the next fifteen minutes and buttoning her suit as she ran.

She had rose from a mere waitress to manager to store owner. Martha and Sophia had rose along with her, now in charge of the same chain of store. They were all successful, able to care for their children. As her phone, signaling she should begin her departure, buzzed in her suit, she smelled burning. She walked to the kitchen, expecting to find Will covered in batter from head to toe, a wide smile of joy and embarrassment on his face, but she found something else.

Forgetting that she would be late for work, she sprinted to her unmoving son, a sob wedged in her throat. She put a finger under his nose, relieved to feel the faint breathe of her son.

"Will," she cried. "Will, wake up." A door creaked open.

"Naomi, what's goin- Oh my gosh! Will!" Martha, ready to call 911, ran to her, pulling her phone out of her pocket. Sophia came out of the room only seconds later, her hair wet and dripping. Next, Lou and Cecil emerged from their rooms, rubbing their eyes tiredly. Soon, their tired looks were replaced with fear and worry.

"What happened?" Lou cried.

"I don't know. I came out of my room, smelled smoke, and just sa- what's this?" Reaching down, she picked up a letter. "It's addressed to Will."

She started reading it out loud.

"'Will,'" she began, her voice slightly shaking from her worry. "'I see you survived our little encounter. Don't worry. It won't be the last one. I promise. You've probably heard I'm on the run, but don't you fret. I'll find you, get you, kill you. After I've had revenge, I'll gladly give myself up. But now, my mind can only thing of you and not being able to kill you. So, brace yourself for your demise." Naomi finished reading the shaky and rushed writing, crumbling to the floor. Martha had pressed _call_, already speaking to the police.

"Yes, of course. No, the mother found him. I think he fainted from the emotions. The letter? Will recently got attacked by one of his classmates. Yes, that's him. Luke sent him the letter. It said that he promises to kill him," Martha said, her voice cracking on the last few words. "No, I don't think we need them. He just fainted from the shock. Sure. Should I stay on the phone? Mmmhmm." A knock on the door sounded. Everyone froze.

"W-who is it?" Cecil called.

"Who do you think? It's your faithful Seaweed Brain," a muffled voice said. A yelp sounded. "And Annabeth, Leo, Nico, Piper, Jason, and Thalia. You didn't have to smack me, Wise Girl." Lou stood up, unlocking the door and letting everyone in. It took a moment to register in everyone's faces.

"What happened?" Annabeth whispered as she crouched to Will, feeling the racing pulse on his wrist.

"Here's the letter that he fainted from." Sophia handed the letter to Jason. Percy, Jason, and Thalia cursed Luke with some very colorful language. Leo and Piper just stared at the letter, shocked. Annabeth stared at the letter, trying to find a clue to where, how, and when Luke send this letter. Nico was trying not to unleash his tendrils as he reached down to help with Will, softly talking to Will to wake him up.

"C'mon, ya dork. Wake up." Will moved his head to Nico's side, groaning slightly. "You can do it, Will. Wake up." That seemed to make him stir. Nico kept on feeding encouraging words to Will while Naomi laid a wet cloth on his forehead. Martha, still on the phone, voiced what the man on the phone said.

"He said that if Will doesn't wake up in five minutes to pour some water on him." Everyone smirked.

"I suggest you wake up, Will," Nico muttered softly to Will. "Good luck if you don't."

* * *

Will was trapped. Where? That's a good question. He didn't know. Darkness seemed to blanket around him, not suffocating just wrapped around him. Will had gotten used to the darkness now. He didn't fear it anymore like he used to.

Will looked around. He seemed to float like air in the room. Was it a room? His presence stayed there, but he didn't have a physical form. He was just… there, but was he? Scanning the room, he couldn't see anything but a single light, illuminating the something of nothing in the room.

Floating to the light, he examined it, soon finding a scene lie within it. It was his home. It was him, alone. Where was everybody. Scrutinizing the image, Will seemed tired then, not noticing that dark shape. What was it?

It hit him like a ton of bricks, crashing into his soul and ringing fear. It was _it. _His air-like state vanished, his physical form reappearing. Crashing to the floor in a heap, he struggled to stand up. A hand wrapped his shoulder. Looking back, it was _him. _Luke.

"No, no, no. Please," Will cried.

"You won't escape me today." A knife seemingly flashed in his hand. A voice echoed through the darkness.

_C'mon, ya dork. Wake up._ Who was there? Wake up? Was this real?

"It's all real, Will. All of it." Luke hauled him up.

_You can do it, Will. _Will started to fight, wanting to escape this prison.

"It's not real. It's not real. This is fake. It's all fake." Light broke through the dark, cracking its façade.

_Wake up. _

Light seared into Luke, breaking his image. Image. It was an image. An image. Fake. It was fake. It was a dream.

* * *

"Everyone ready?" Cecil asked, mischief glinting in his eyes.

"Oh, hell yeah," Leo said. Nico, Lou, Annabeth, and Piper shook their heads at Thalia, Percy, Jason, Leo, and Cecil. They all had their glasses raised, ready to pour the water on Will. Nobody noticed the fluttering of Wills' eyelids.

"In 3, 2, 1!"

* * *

Will blinked his open, squinting at the light. Where was he? He looked up at his friends gathered around him, holding glasses of water.

"What are you peop-" He was cut off by water being thrown at him, soaking him. Sputtering, he looked up at his friends, shock in his eyes.

"What was that for?" Percy looked at him, slightly sorry but mostly amused.

"I guess you woke up just in time to see the surprise!" Will looked around. What happened?

"So…What's up with the splashing?" Nico looked at him, holding the anger back at the remembrance of that damn paper.

"Do you remember the letter?" Will felt his emotions flare, anxiety and fear creeping up his spine. He started to breathe heavily, making Nico run to his side, soothing him.

"Solace, I promise that we will not let Luke hurt you ever again. You're safe. Safe."

_Safe. I'm safe._

Will's breathing returned to normal, his glazed eyes returned to the piercing blue they are. He looked up at his family. All of them smiled at his and gave a wordless promise, letting him know he's safe, forever and always.

"Well, we're gonna be late to school if we don't eat breakfast in five minutes!" Lou scurried to the pantry, grabbing a box of granola bars.

"We'll eat 'em on the way to school. We gotta move, guys!"

Everyone booked it out the door, yelling a chorus of goodbyes as they rushed out. Will wheeled at amazing speed. Honestly, if there was an Olympic wheelchair race, Will would take the gold. They got to the school in record time, rushing to their locker, getting their supplies in a couple minutes, and sprinting/wheeling to their respective classrooms.

* * *

"Alright, guys. Today we'll be presenting the book projects. Now, you guys had well over the amount of time given to do this because of my unexpected leave," Mr. D said. "Ms. Smith has informed me which groups have not done their projects on time. These groups will be deducted ten points automatically." **(A/N I realized this plot hole when I was going over his story. Just to ease confusion, we're just gonna say that Mr. D was on a break for school. He is the AP English teacher, not Ms. Curtis.)**

Nico was terrified. He knew they were prepared, having rehearsed it over ten times, but it was still a nerve-racking experience. He glanced over to his right at Will, who seemed calm and collected, awing Nico to an ever-growing extent. After what happened this morning, Nico thought Will would be shaken, even if only a little, but that was Will. He always saw through problems. He saw the positive.

"Thank you, Annabeth and Reyna. I can see you spent a lot of time really getting to know the full extent and message of _Bridge to Terabithia_. You captured Jesse's longing and despair and overcoming of the tragic event." **(A/N if you haven't read this book, please do. It's heart-warming and heart-wrenching)**

"Next…Will and Nico with _The Outsiders_. Come on up, guys."

Will wheeled out to the aisle, giving Nico an encouraging nod. Gulping, Nico headed to the front of the classroom, setting up their art and poetry.

"Nico and I wanted to convey the message and symbolism interlaced into the story. The author- S. E. Hinton- wove seamlessly into the writing with themes of social displacement between the rich and poor somewhere around the time of the 50s yet still created the tale of kids in a bad situation. So, today we'll show you what we think is poetry that defines the book, all wrapped up to tell the symbolic or metaphorical side to this novel."

"Will and I have designed art that also demonstrates the world in the eyes of each rival gang in the story. The wild, untamed, emotional greasers and the calm, cool, and collected Socs. Polar opposites yet the same. They were just kids."

Throughout the presentation, Nico was having an out-of-body experience. He kept going, words coming effortlessly out of his mouth. He didn't realize this, but Will was absolutely captivated by Nico, almost forgetting to speak when he was staring at Nico, who was explaining the poetry. He was entrancing.

"Thank you, guys. That was certainly an interesting presentation. It was one of a kind. Unconventional. Risky, even. I don't think I've even seen a project quite like it. I look forward to grading this assignment."

Nico and Will gulped. They didn't no what response to expect, but it certainly wasn't _that._ Did Mr. D even like it? Did he hate it?

"Uh…Thank you, Mr. D. And you guys-" Will said, gesturing to the class. "-for listening." Both shuffled to their desks, exchanging a look. What type of comment was that? Did they just fail their project? Hopefully, they didn't.

Time seemed to go slowly during the rest of class, like it was teasing Will and Nico. Watching the minutes pass, the seconds tick by, it was horrible for the two. All they wanted was to be able to see their dang grade. Mr. D was a quick grader, so they were supposed to have to get their presentations by the end of class. It was stressful yet relieving if that made any sense at all. Honestly, grades just sucked in general.

Soon, they came to the last presentation on _A Wrinkle in Time. _**(A/N Again, GREAT book)** Will and Nico were fidgeting the whole time but still listened even though both of them could start screaming at any second.

"Well, now the moment that each of you have been nervous about, your grades. I'm not gonna lie, some of these grades aren't too great, but if you guys actually worked hard and did the right things, you'll be fine."

Now, it was time for the walk every single student hates so much, they could kill it. The walk to pass back your grade. Teachers walking with the stack of papers containing your grade and walking around the classroom, flipping over the paper, and sliding it to the person. Soon, he reached Will and Nico.

_Oh gods. Please be alright. _Both boys thought as they stared at the paper.

"You wanna look, or should I?" Nico asked.

"Uh, I'll do it." Will moved a slightly shaking hand to the paper. This was school, man. Nervous about a damn paper instead of what truly lingered ahead.

* * *

It was quiet. Very quiet. He looked at the time. 9:03am. So, _he_ was in school. Protected. Secured. Safe. Or so he thought. It was perfect. Getting him when he thought it was safe, that is. A safe, protected environment. A haven.

Laughing in small, loud bursts, he sat there in the cold, dark, whispering basement. Thoughts echoed in his head, rattling in the walls of his mind. Thoughts of revenge, of his life and what it had become, of absolute darkness, of sorrow, of grief, of pain.

No one knew. No one knew what he had been through. No one knew of his drunkard mother, raging until the cracks of dawn and her screams echoing through the empty house. His father made her like this. His father made him like this.

His father left him when young, forcing his mother to fight for herself and eventually find alcohol. Alcohol was her escape, he supposed. It let her vent her emotions through throwing back shots and chugging beer. The web of a broken family spun around him, trapping his innocence, his chance for good.

_This _was it. This was all he had. Plotting vengeance, destroying some kid's life, ruining any good bone in his body. Whether he accepted it or not, this was what he looked forward to. What gave him the strength to get up in the mornings. Truly, he didn't want any of this, but he had nothing else to do.

The letter was risky, he knew. Sending it broad daylight with cameras, but he had done it. Hopefully, it didn't arise suspicion. He didn't want his plan to wither, after all. He needed him to think it was safe. That he was safe. The surprise would not be ruined. So, Luke Castellan sat in the smothering quietness of that cold, dark basement, laughing. That cold, brewing laugh.

Oh, it would be one hell of a surprise.

* * *

"Damn it, Solace. Just flip over the goddamn paper." Will shook his head, the trance gone.

"Language, Sunshine."

"Well, I wouldn't have to use it if you flipped over the paper." Sighing, he looked down at that little devil spawn of a paper. It was as if it was from Satan himself.

"Fine." Hearts racing, hands shaking, they both booked down at what would be 40% of their grade. Both of their jaws dropped.

**A+= 98%= 98/100**

In quick handwriting below read:

_Great job, you two! It was an out of the box way to go and do this project, but frankly, as a teacher, who grades the same thing every year, it was nice to have a refresher. -2pts because of grammar mistakes in the essay, but that was it. Overall, amazing job. You guys make a great team. I hope to see some collaboration in the future_.

_-Mr. D (Your favorite teacher, obviously)_

Both blushed slightly. Nico was about to say something to Will when the bell rang, signaling their departure. Will turned around to face Nico.

"I guess we didn't fail."

"You're right about that, doc." Gathering up his courage, he asked Will something. "So, we should do a training thing. Once you're all healed up, that is." Will scooched closer to Nico.

"Definitely. If I'm being completely honest, I still practice it sometimes. Like when I need to get something across the room when nobody's around, I just use the tendrils to get it. I'm sneaky like that." Nico laughed at what Will thought was "sneaky."

"Uh huh, Solace. So sneaky."

"What? I am," he protested.

"Keep telling yourself that."

"You're mean."

"Yes, I am."

"No, you're not! I was joking! You're very kind, Nico. That's why your name is one letter off from 'nice.'"

"That's stupid, Solace. It's also a very random fact."

"No, it isn't. Whenever I type 'Nico,' I always accidentally type 'nice.'"

"So, you're typing my name a lot, huh?" Will blushed.

"Shut up, Sunshine." Little did they know, Annabeth and Reyna were standing off to the side, laughing.

"So, you guys got a bet going?" Reyna asked.

"Yeah. You want in?"

"Nah, but I bet all my money that those two'll get together at some point."

"That's a given." Both girls walked out of the room, teasing Solangelo endlessly.

* * *

Will sat on the bleachers, doing homework. He was bored out of his mind. None of the coacher- even Coach Artemis- would let him do anything. Well, they did let him go use the restroom and get water on his own. He had done that at least three times by now, but hey, why not make it four?

Rolling to the bathroom, Will sat in the exercise room. Sure, he liked being outside but doing nothing but baking in the sun was not his idea of a good time. He needed some AC. Will rolled around aimlessly through the room, occasionally stopping to pick up a stray dumbbell or band.

Eventually, he found his way to the water fountain, straining his back up to catch a bit of water. It was hard being this short. How did he do it as a kid? Will was a tall kid when he was not confined in a rolling chair, standing at six feet (183cm). Now, he was more than a foot (30cm) shorter!

Will heard the door open, tensing. Ever since that night, he knew to be careful of being alone in a room with another person. Quietly wheeling to a corner that he could not be seen, he peered to see who it was. They figure moved to the other side of the room. Who was it?

The figure was wearing a hoodie. Not too odd for mid-October in New York. Will peered to look who it was. As the person turned to glance behind them, Will saw the face. She had long black hair and almond shaped eyes. It was Drew? Drew _never _wore hoodies. Ever. It was against her "Fashion Code" or something.

Drew seemingly waited for about three minutes until another figure appeared but came in through a window. The window? Drew glared at the person, who was dirt-covered and a masked face. Will tingle in the back of his mind. Like he knew the person. She pulled out a phone and card out of her pocket, shoving them out towards the masked figure. Maybe an ID? Or credit card?

"Well? This is what you wanted. Take it and leave me alone! You didn't tell us you were going after him, almost killed him, and now…now you go and threaten me? Threaten my family? What the hell? This is low. Even for you, Luke." Will almost yelped right then and there. Almost. He swallowed the yell of shock down, now knowing to be as quiet as possible. Luke was a danger.

"You didn't exactly turn me in when I reached out to you, now did you? That makes you special, Drew. That makes you an accessory. And if you do think about turning me in, think about your family. Mom, Dad, little sister, only thirteen. It would be a shame if something were to happen, no?" Drew looked down, shaking her head. A tear fell to the ground. Luke smirked, knowing he had gotten to her.

"Fine. I'll be a piece in your little game, but someone will get you. Someone will catch you. You will lose, Luke."

"Oh, I'll be happy to lose if one player quits the game. Just one. He needs to quit." Drew looked up at him, hate in her eyes.

"Why? Because he bruised your fragile ego? All of this because of that? Because he decided to stand up for the people you harass? Because he was brave? That's a great reason, Luke. Absolutely amazing." Luke hesitated for a second before scoffing.

"What would you know? You're just a girl." Drew didn't know how she put up with him. How she bullied innocent people with him. She was going to change. She winded back a fist and kicked back her leg, nailing him in the gut and where the sun don't shine and spinning back to kick him in the face.

"Yeah, I'm just a girl. A girl who took martial for a decade." Luke, wheezing on the floor, looked up and Drew. He still smiled, wincing at the new bruise that was going to be on his face.

"Just remember my threat, Drew. My promise." Luke stumbled up, carrying himself out the window again. Drew stared at the window till he disappeared from sight, crumbling to the floor. Will decided to go and talk to her. Wheeling himself over to her, he gently tapped her shoulder. Jumping, Drew wiped tears from her eyes.

"Will! What are you doing here?"

"I saw everything. It's okay." Drew nodded, very shocked he wasn't blowing up at her. She bullied him. She harassed him.

"Are you mad at me? For everything I've done?" Will hesitated for a split second.

"I was mad at you for a long time. Like furious. If I was a cartoon, I would have steam coming from me and red rising in my face, but anyway, I'm not. In fact, I'm happy at you if that's a thing. You just defended me in front of an almost murderer. You kicked him in the nuts. That's awesome! I'd even call you my friend. You changed your ways, right? So why should I be mad?" Drew looked down at him, gaping.

"You're like a damn angel. I'm so sorry. I was an idiot. Will, if I could take it back, I would."

"Language but thanks. I'm really not, but I would really, really like if we took the video to Mr. Chiron. I even got the part when you kicked him in the balls." Drew laughed.

"Sure. Absolutely. We can go ask Coach Hedge." Will wheeled along with Drew, who now got to know Will. He was actually pretty great. That just made her feel even worse. Little did Will know that Drew was leading him to a trap. That it was all staged. That Drew was actually saving her family in that moment. That Drew was an amazing actress. That Luke was waiting.

* * *

Nico stumbled over to his water bottle. Coach Hedge was really pushing him this week. More than usual. Maybe it was because the SFC- The Sword Fighting Championship- was coming up soon. Well, it was probably that. He saw Percy and Jason duking it out, goofing off slightly. Nico was sword fighting with another kid in their grade.

Matthew, the kid, was in the Hermes cabin. He hung out with the Travis, Conner, and them a lot. He was a pretty good swordsman, having done it for a few years. Nico had rose from beginner to intermediate to advanced very quickly. Coach Hedge was impressed. Of course, he never showed it.

Glancing over to the bleachers, he looked over and expected to find Will sitting there, fidgeting and being distracted, but instead found him and Drew- wait. Drew? What was Will doing with her? He saw them walk over to Coach Hedge, Will show him his phone, and Coach Hedge nodding worriedly, pointing over to the main building. They nodded and walked off. Nico looked at the two, knowing he shouldn't be worried. The campus was protected, cameras everywhere.

"C'MON, DI ANGELO! MOVE IT, CUPCAKE!" Nico shook himself out of his trance, soothing his anxious thoughts by telling them that they were safe. Protected. But…were they? Matthew looked at him strangely.

"You good, Nico?" Nico looked at him.

"Yeah. Yeah, I'm fine. Let's just get started."

"You sure?" Nico hesitated. No, he wasn't. He should go check. He needed to make sure. But was he just being paranoid? He sighed. Better safe than sorry.

"I'll be right back." Matthew nodded. Coach Hedge looked at Nico.

"What do you want, cupcake?"

"Where did Will go?" Coach Hedge smirked internally. The teachers had a talk about Will and Nico. They were so blind of their feelings.

"To Mr. Chiron's office." Nico needed to check there.

"May I go use the restroom?"

"Make it quick, cupcake." Nico yelled his thanks as he ran towards the main building. Silently cursing his feelings or mind or whatever made his do this, he worry grew with each passing second as he ran to go find Will. Oh gods, this boy would be the death of him.

* * *

"I'm pretty sure this way is faster," Drew said as they walked to Mr. Chiron's office. "We don't want to be too late to gym when we come back." Drew felt a pang in her chest. _We._ Yet, it would only be her returning.

It was all too much for her. Too much. She was just a kid. A kid who chose the wrong crowd. A very wrong crowd. All she wanted was some friends. For her parents to be proud of the women she's becoming, but this isn't what they would want. Being an accessory for murder. Her parents raised her better than this. She had to be an example for her sister. A role model.

She was the perfect daughter and sister at home, a straight-A student but a horrible person inside. She knew this. It consumed her inside, eating away at her conscience. Still, she led Will to the hallway with no cameras. No way to know what happens. No one to know what she did.

It hurt her by hurting Will. He helped people. He forgave her after all she did. He was good. Will was good. He didn't deserve this, but what else could be done? She couldn't let her family land themselves into harms way. They were too precious to her. Too valuable. They were all she had left. Her reputation, her friends, her social life, everything was gone, having disappeared from her life. Her family would still be there. If they weren't, she couldn't handle it anymore. She just couldn't bear the thought.

A battle between emotions raged inside her, masked with her façade of a smiling face ready to take down a bully, a murderer. She led him to the final destination, the last. Lights flickered in the hallway, already giving signs to run. Run far away, but Will didn't. He stayed, trusting Drew.

"You sure this is the right way? Looks a bit beat down." Drew faked a smile, wanting to tell him to run. Run far away.

"Yeah. I guess they forgot to clean it in a while." Will looked a bit hesitant but trusted her, wheeling down the hallway, not knowing that Luke was waiting. She walked on, a war still raging in her head. Her conscience and her emotions. Her head and her heart. She couldn't do it. She couldn't go through with it. If she helped Will, Luke could be caught. Could be. There was always a chance. A chance he could seek revenge on her, but she couldn't do it. She had to stop Will, but it was too late.

"Oh, looky here. It's the fag and Drew," a voice rang. "You wandered right to me. I wonder why, right, Drew? Why you had to take another way, why this hallway looks to be unadorned with cameras, and why Drew happened to be the one who brought you here. So convenient. So coincidental." Will tensed.

"Drew, y-you did this? Why? We could've caught him. We could've helped your family. Or was all that fake. Have you been working with him from the start? You somehow lied to the police, a polygraph, and your family. Drew, why?" Will started to get angry. Really angry. Seeing spots angry. He felt the tendrils want to break loose, but he knew he couldn't do it now. He had to play his cards right.

"No, Will. Please. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I had to protect my family. He made me. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry," Drew sobbed. "I'm sorry." Will felt his anger increase. She was "sorry." Sorry for leading him to his death? Sorry for this situation?

"I don't think I can forgive you. Please, just leave. Leave us. Let me die in peace. Let me be alone when I die. You owe me that much for leading me to my own death." Will felt a plan forming in his mind. He needed to make this work.

_C'mon, Will. Unleash your inner Annabeth._

"Quit your damn talking. Get the hell out of here, Drew. I've got some stuff to deal with." Will let his anger simmer, making sure it didn't go away. He kept thinking back to Drew's betrayal, Apollo leaving, and pain for people who don't deserve it. Drew looked up at Luke.

"No." Luke recoiled in shock.

"No?"

"No way in hell am I leaving here without a fight. Will, I'm sorry. I know you won't forgive me, but to me, actions speak louder than words. If I die trying, know that this is my choice. I'm fixing my mistakes." Drew stepped into the darkness, disappearing from sight. Luke looked around.

"Get out here, Drew. Fight like a man. You really want to fight all girly?" Luke snarled. Drew's voice echoed, not giving an indication to where she was.

"Well, I'm not a man, and I sure as hell won't fight like one." Luke failed to notice Will, who internalized his emotions. Will would not let the tendrils out until the final moment. He had to fulfill his plan. He had to make the tendrils strong enough to hold Luke.

Suddenly, a metal pipe came flying out of seemingly nowhere, hitting Luke right in the back. Luke crumpled to the floor, a very small amount of blood staining his shirt.

"You're gonna pay for that, you bit-" Another flew, but Luke caught it. He chucked it right back to the place it came from, inciting a yelp from Drew.

"I got you." Luke followed the yelp, dragging a hurt Drew to the middle of the hallway. "Now, here's your punishment." Raising the pipe, Luke smiled with glee, but before he could, a rope of light caught his arm, slowly grabbing the other one. He looked at the source. A boy in a wheelchair lifting his hand with the wisp-thing attached to it.

"What the hell is this?" Will wheeled closer to him.

"Language, Luke! Plus, don't you know it's rude to hit other people? And to answer your question, it's a tendril." Luke struggled to be let go, tugging with all he could at it.

"Give up, Luke. I've got you right where I want you." Luke looked down at Drew, not finding her there, but instead, she was on the other side of the hallway, gaping. She had escaped. Luke decided to forget her and focus on these tendril things or whatever. He kept pulling, noticing that with every pull, Will seemed to grow more tired. Will decided to start yelling for somebody, anybody, to come help.

"Looks like my pulling is loosening your hold." Will gritted his teeth. He needed to capture Luke. He would not let another person get hurt like him.

"You can't do this forever." Wordlessly responding to Luke, he shot another tendril at him, wrapping his feet up and getting the hold on his arms more firmly. Luke crashed to the ground, loosing his balance when Will got his legs. Will continued to grow more and more tired, slowly feeling like he could faint at any second. Luke was right. He couldn't do this forever.

Soon, five, ten, fifteen minutes had passed, with Will feeling like crap. He was sore everywhere, sweat dripping to the floor and body screaming at him to go to sleep. He still yelled for help. Luke was still struggling relentlessly. Then, they heard an announcement.

"Will Solace, please report to Mr. Chiron's office. I repeat, Will Solace, please report to Mr. Chiron's office." Luke growled.

"I need to kill you soon, Will." Will started to see spots. This was too much. He was exhausted. No. More than exhausted. Like at any second, he could just close his eyes and give up. He felt the tendrils flicker. He was losing them. He tried to power through, but he couldn't. Yelling as loud as he could in pain and defeat, he slumped to his wheelchair, not being able to move. He saw Luke's face above his seconds later.

"All you did was prolong your death." Luke produced a knife. "But now…now it's here. This is what you get, you little piece of shit." Luke raised the knife high above him.

"Goodbye forever, Will." Will refused to yell when that knife came down. He refused to shed a tear. He refused to show Luke that he had won. Just as the knife was five inches from his heart, a black tendril grabbed his arm. A low voice growled:

"Don't you dare lay a hand on him, jerk." Will looked at the voice who could only belong to the one and only Nico. "You hurt him, I hurt you thousands of times more than what you did to him."

Will was exhausted; he would barely process what was happened and mumbled out a few words before blacking out.

"Be careful, Sunshine."

* * *

Nico had run to the office, barging in on Mr. Chiron who spilled water on his papers.

_"Mr. di Angelo! What would be so important that you had to come in so suddenly?" _

_ "Will…he's missing. I-I can't find him. He wandered somewhere with Drew. And now…now he's gone. Coach Hedge told me he would be here." Mr. Chiron stood up abruptly. Will was in danger with Luke on the loose. They needed to find him. _

_ "I'll get Ms. Gowan to make an announcement. You have permission to go look for him." Nico nodded, immediately running out the door. They had to find Will. _

Now, he was in front of Luke, wrapping him in tendrils with an unconscious Will laying on his wheelchair. Luke looked in Nico's eyes, pleading with him for mercy. Mercy to not kill him. Nico held back, but the tendril still secured Luke, tightly grasping him.

Before Nico rushed over to Will, he decided it would be a good idea when someone found them to have Luke wrapped in rope or something, not tendrils coming from his body. Nico found a storage closet, grapping the thickest, sturdiest rope he could find and began wrapping it tightly around Luke, ensuring that he wouldn't escape.

Nico pulled out his phone, dialing the school's number/

"Hello? Hi, Ms. Gowon. This is Nico di Angelo. I just found Will, unconscious, with Luke about to…uh…kill him. Oh, don't worry! I surprised Luke by wrapping him in ten- rope! Yeah, he's wrapped in rope. Ok, then. I'm in some old beat down hallway. Could you also call the police? They need to arrest Luke. Ok, thanks. See you soon, ma'am."

Hanging up the phone, Nico rushed over to Will.

"Will, Will. C'mon. Wake up." He heard a groan rumble from the tired boy. Blinking his eyes open, he was greeted to obsidian eyes.

"Why am I here? Where am I?" Nico shivered at how deep his voice sounded.

"I think you exhausted yourself using the tendrils. You're in some hallway." Will slowly nodded, everything coming back when he suddenly gasped.

"Drew! Luke! Where are they? Are they okay?" Nico was shocked. After all they did, after all they put him through, Will was still asking about them.

"Luke's tied up over there, and Drew…Drew's gone." Will slumped. She saved him, risking her life. Why did she have such a change of heart?

"She rescued me. She put her life on the line." Nico, in a moment of pure boldness, grabbed Will's hand.

"She'll be okay. We'll find her. Don't worry." Will nodded, blushing. Thankfully, Nico didn't notice, too busy with covering up his own blush. Then, they heard footsteps echoing through the hallway, bounding towards them. Nico jumped away, ready to fight the people coming. As the mystery people turned the corner, it turned out to be the three police officers and Mr. Chiron. An officer pulled the two aside.

"Are you guys okay?" She looked genuinely concerned for the two of them, worry shining in her eyes. "I have a teenager myself, and I just couldn't bear the thought of this happening to him." Will smiled at her.

"Just a bit shaken up, ma'am. Other than that, I think we're okay." The officer nodded.

"I'll head over to question Mr. Castellan." Both nodded. Just as they were about to ask each other what to do now, Mr. Chiron walked over to them.

"You guys can head home for the rest of the day. I'll ask the teachers to send home the stuff. Mr. di Angelo, I want you to go with Mr. Solace home. Ms. Tanaka is yet to be found. We'll have to ask you both in for questioning later tomorrow. Ok?"

"I'll do whatever I can," Nico answered.

"Same." Mr. Chiron nodded to them and asked a police officer to escort them home, which she gladly did. As they walked to the police cruiser, the lady asked them normal mom questions like 'how was school' or 'did you do anything fun today.' After all, she was a mother.

* * *

The car ride was nice. Watching blurs of green fly by with blue surrounding them. Will and Nico huddled together unknowingly, wanting the comfort of another. Soon, they reached the building, insisting they would be fine going to the apartment. The police officer reluctantly agreed, driving away as soon as she saw them safely enter the elevator.

"So, today was…interesting," Will started. "Very…action-packed."

"Will, quit the B.S. Are you okay? Answer me honestly." Nico stepped closer to Will.

"I'm shaken up. Very shaken up. I'm really…really tired. I used too many tendrils. I had to keep him subdued. I need a nap." Nico chuckled a bit.

"Please let me push you. You're so tired. You can't even form sentences too well, Solace." Will felt his resolve of not wanting to be pushed quickly crumbling when Nico gave him those darned adorable eyes.

_Say no, Will. One word. N-O. Two letters._

"Fine. Go ahead." This boy would be the end of him. As the elevator doors opened, Will was wheeled by Nico to the apartment, to his bedroom, and tucked in. Being pampered by your crush was freaking _awesome. _

"You want any food? Water? I'll get you water and some chips." Before Will could even say 'thanks,' Nico was out the door. Will laughed slightly at Nico's hospitality. This wasn't even his house! Well, maybe it was. It was his home. Not his house.

Will felt himself drifting off to sleep, pondering about Nico. It helped him fall asleep somehow. Soon, he wandered down to the realm of sleep, humming peacefully for the first time in ages.

* * *

"So, I got you water and chips. Where do you…" Nico trailed off as he noticed Will sleeping soundly, clutching his pillow tightly. He was a sleep hugger? _How in the world did he just make himself even more adorkable? _It should've been impossible.

Nico lightly set down the food and water on the nightstand. He started to tiptoe out of the room until he saw part of Will's blanket coming off him. Pulling it back on, he started to leave before Will's arms, quick as light, bear hugged his hand. Nico froze. Crap. He started gently tugging his arm away, getting looser and looser from Will's grasp each minute.

After ten minutes of wincing, cursing, and sliding his hand out, he finally got free, ignoring the cold feeling surrounding his hand after that. Nico moved outside to the living room, crashing on the couch. He felt the tension leave his muscles. How was this couch so comfortable? Slowly, Nico drifted off to sleep, too, stretching out on the couch like a cat.

Finally, both had gone to sleep. A peaceful, happy, deep sleep neither had felt in ages. They were at peace with their lives. They were at peace with the world. Why, you might ask, were they after over six years of waiting? They had found something to fight for. A family. A home. A love.

* * *

I suck. I freaking suck. I have to start getting these chapters out sooner. Peoples, I'm so sorry. The ending part is crappy and bad, but I'll do better. I'm getting used to some things in my life, and it's all really hectic. I promise I will continue adding to this story whenever I can. Maybe once every 6-10 days.

Again, thank you guys for being so kind in your reviews and for favoriting/following this story. I'm just a bored girl who loves writing and books. I can't stress this enough, but it means the world. Thank you, thank you, thank you. I love all you guys! I won't bore you with this outro forever so, stay golden!

-EscapingWriter


	9. Apologies

***Insert creative and fun intro*** Ok, that's done. On with the chapter:

* * *

Chapter 9- Apologies

* * *

"C'mon, Nico. Get up." Face buried in a pillow, cursing the world, Nico sighed. He messed up. Big time. Finally greeting the worried faces of his cousins and sister, he turned around, his hair a mess. Sprawled out on the bed, Nico sat up for the first time in hours. Maybe days. He didn't really know. All he knew was that he screwed up so bad, he lost his best friend- and crush.

"It's not that bad, Nico," Jason offered tentatively. Nico shot a death glare at him.

"'Not that bad,' huh, Grace? 'Not that bad?' Why don't you go and tell Piper her worst insecurity, exploit it, and then tell her that it's her fault! See, that's what I did." Jason gave a look to Percy, remembering what had happened. It was…well, to put it simply, a night to remember.

_"Solace, you need to be more careful!" Nico yelled. Will stared down at him, glaring. He had gotten out of his wheelchair 2 ½ weeks ago, now only a few more days till he got his dang cast and boot off and could run. _

_ "I was fine, Nico. Luke is detained anyway. Why are you making such a big deal out of this?! I was gone for two hours." Muttering curses in Italian, Nico shook his head. _

_ "Don't pull that goddamn excuse. You sure as hell know that Drew is still out there!" Will looked away, his jaw clenching and unclenching. His normal happy sky-blue eyes looked like the sky amidst a storm, darkness clouding over the blue. His golden hair was disheveled, almost like he had bedhead, but Nico didn't notice. He was clouded in his own anger. _

_ His obsidian eyes had somehow gotten even darker and his body was tense with rage. Both would never admit this but damn, they were hot. Still the argument burned like a wildfire, fury laced in each word. The group all stood to the side, too scared to interfere. They would feel waves of red just from hearing the words pouring out of both of their mouths. _

_ Both could feel their tendrils wanting to break free, to just float around, but they held back. Nico stared up at Will, cursing his shortness. Will started to pace around the room, eyes following him. He was just about done with this. _

_ "It's not a big deal, Nico. Why do you even care? Or here for that matter? I don't need you of all people to take care of me." Will knew that as soon as the words left his mouth, regret would follow in the passing hours, but he was too emotional to care._

_Nico felt like a bullet tore through his heart. Will didn't need him? He didn't even want him to be there with him? Nico felt hot tears well up in his eyes and shook it off, but Will's words rang in his head like an evil lullaby. _

_ "You're so damn aggravating. YOU COULD HAVE DIED! Are you not hearing me through that thick skull? Death, Will. Death would have been the damn consequence." Will just rolled his eyes, but soon he felt like he couldn't breathe as Nico muttered a few words. _

_ "Sometimes, I get why your dad-" Nico's eyes widened. Will felt…he felt…betrayed. Hurt. Angry._

_ "What? Why my dad left? Go ahead, Nico. Say it." Nico started shaking his head, but it was too late. The damage was done. _

_Will walked out the Poseidon cabin, slamming the door on his way out. Lou and Cecil both ran after him, shooting Nico a "it's okay since we know it was in the spur of the moment, and you were being a complete idiot" look. Nico didn't even register the wordless forgiveness Lou and Cecil gave him as he stood there, gaping and staring at the spot Will was just standing in minutes ago. Nico felt the hot tears rising in his eyes. _

_ "I'm sorry, Will." _

Nico stared at the ceiling, feeling his emotions start to take over. Hazel gingerly sat down on the bed, smiling ever so slightly.

"Nico, it's not too late. You can still apologize to him and tell him 'hey, Will. I was an idiot and said some stuff I didn't mean. Forgive me?' He's getting him cast and stuff off today. You can meet him there and tell him." Nico looked at her. He had such a good sister, but how could he

"He'll never forgive me. Ever. You should've seen him in Science. Or English. Or Math. Heck, all the classes I'm doing with him. He couldn't even look at me. He hates me, Hazel. Hates me."

_Nico walked into English class, scanning the room for Will. He sat there, looking off in the distance. He wasn't sitting with Nico. He wasn't even sitting close to where Nico sits. Gulping, he started walking to his normal spot, seeing Annabeth give him a "he's not in the mood look." _

_ Throughout class, Will didn't give him one of his infamous dad joke notes or look at him with his walrus pencils or even bat an eye at him. It was like Nico was a ghost to him. There but invisible. Acknowledging his presence but not paying attention to it. Knowing he was present but ignoring. _

_ When it was time for lunch, Nico saw that Will was sitting with about half of the group while the other half waved Nico over. Will hated him that much? So much that he couldn't even bear the thought of sitting with Nico for the lunch period?_

_ Nico walked over to the other lunch table, plopping his things down, but he didn't have an appetite. He wasn't too hungry. Percy and Jason attempted to cheer him up, but it was futile. Nico wasn't in the mood. Nevertheless, Percy and Jason persisted with Solangelo, knowing that they would make up. They would at least be friends once more. _

_ In gym, Will sat at the bleachers, not giving him a goofy grin like he usually does but sat there, stoic and silent. Nico hated this. Will seemed to be looking around at all the activities until he landed on Nico. His gaze hesitated for a second when it landed on Nico. _

_ Immediately looking away, he felt his heart constrict. This was all too much. Ignoring his feelings, he went back to his spar with Jason, taking out his anger, his hurt, his pain with those swings, taking down Jason in only five minutes. Coach Hedge walked over, clapping him on the back for doing a great job, but he knew. He was doing a lousy job at everything. _

_ Soon, science rolled around. Will's favorite class. Still trying to cling to the hope that Will would forgive him, Nico shuffled into the room. He spotted Will, sitting in his seat not even acknowledging Nico. His heart sank even more, feeling like it had sunk into the earth below. _

_ Even when class ended, Will was the first one out of the classroom. That was unusual. He always helped Ms. Cade with cleaning up. Nico knew why, though. It was because of him. It was because of him stupid insult during that stupid argument. It ate him up inside. It hurt him. He felt like his heart was vulnerable to the whole world, but people didn't see it, trampling over it again and again. _

"He hates me. I can't do it." Thalia had just about enough of it. When she visited Will, he was moping about this, too. These damn boys were to oblivious to see both were hurting as much as the other but were too scared to and apologize. Nico was convinced Will hated him, and Will was convinced Nico hated him. Tempted to just tell Nico Will was lazing around, swimming in his sadness, she held back. They needed to apologize to each other.

"He doesn't, Nico. Now get up off your ass, and go apologize," Thalia snapped. "If he doesn't forgive you, to hell with him. Just go say sorry." Nico flared.

"No. Not to hell with him. To hell with this stupid argument. I'm going over to Will's right now. Screw this." Nico launched up, stomping over to the door.

"Wait! Nico!" He looked over his shoulder at a smirking Percy.

"You might want to change out of your PJs." Blushing, he walked to his dresser, pulling out some clothes.

"Thanks."

* * *

It was 11:37am, Saturday, November 7th. In almost four hours, he was getting his cast and boot off. Will should've been happy, he supposed, but he just couldn't put a smile on his face for anything. Trying to focus on the positive, he thought of things he could do. He could run tomorrow. He could do archery. He could be free. But…could he?

He couldn't be free from his feelings. Of the fight. Feeling his heart protests at the thought of the fight, he sat up. Right now, he was alone in the apartment. His mom, Sophia, and Martha all went out to work, not knowing about Nico and his fight. Cecil went to the grocery store with Lou to make dinner because they wanted to see how hard cooking a meal was. Plus, they wanted to cheer Will up and make him food.

Groaning, Will stood up, walking over to the kitchen to get some water. He grabbed a glass from the cupboard, walking over to the sink and stopping when he heard a fait _tap, tap, tap _at the door. Who was that? Tensing, Will set his glass down and walked over to the door.

"Who is it?" Even though Luke was imprisoned, his trial coming up soon, Will had developed a cautiousness he didn't have before.

"I-It's Nico." Will froze. Nico? Nico hated him…right? Over the past few days, Will had been a wreck. He lost his appetite and wasn't the sunny, charming boy everyone knew him to be. Worrying his friends to no extent, he even turned down starting running earlier with some exercises. Running. Will _loved_ running. It was his escape, his time to be free.

With a shaking hand, Will turned the doorknob to reveal an even more pale, vulnerable Nico di Angelo. He looked like he hadn't slept or eaten well in days. Fidgeting slightly, Nico's tired eyes met Will, almost begging him with no words.

"Will, I…uh…I want to apologize. I was a complete jerk. I brought your father and all those memories back. I was a douchebag and said things I regret out of anger. Lots of things. I'm sorry. Really, really sorry. Of course, you don't have to forgive me. I just wanted to get that off my chest."

In all honestly, Will barely paid any attention to Nico's apology. He was too starstruck that Nico- the Nico di Angelo- was making himself vulnerable. It was sweet and thoughtful, and he couldn't stop the smile that spread across his face. Nico was too adorable. It should've been illegal.

Now, pure elation was also a prominent emotion in Will at that moment but so was shock. He couldn't believe Nico was apologizing. His words did hurt like fire burning inside, but Will was also knew they were in anger. After all, Will was a jerk, too. He told Nico that he didn't need him. Why was he there? Looking back, Will wanted to punch himself a thousand times for telling him that. He…he did need Nico. Nico was the light, even if that sounded weird with his dark persona.

"Will?"

Will's shocked expression faded, now replaced with that goofy grin Nico loved oh so much. Will looked back, trying to make it go away but found it impossible. His gaze falling back on Nico, he uttered a few words that made Nico's heart soar.

"Of course I forgive you, you dork."

Let this be clear: Nico was not a toucher and was nowhere close to a hugger, but in that moment, he couldn't help himself. Launching himself forward, he wrapped his arms around Will's torso. Will stumbled back, startled by Nico's hug- well, more like tackle. Will blushed profusely but nevertheless hugged back the small boy clinging to him.

Nico, his action still not fully hitting him, buried his face in Will's chest. He looked up at Will, smiling. Will almost fainted right then and there.

"Are you sure you forgive me?"

"If anything, I should apologize, too. I was jerk. Nico, I do need you. You've become…I don't know…special to me. I'm sorry." Now, it was Nico's turn to almost faint. He let go of Will's sides and wiggled out of Will's grasp. He looked down, shuffling slightly.

"So…uh…should I go now?" Will really didn't want that.

"No!" Will exclaimed. "I mean- no. You can come with us to the removing of the boot and cast. It's a very sacred ritual, you know. It's said that in Roman times they did this to. A whole party and everything." Nico rolled his eyes.

"And I'm the dork? _You're _the dork." Will clutched his heart dramatically, leaning on the counter for support.

"You wound me with your words, Sunshine."

"Yeah, yeah. My words are knives to your heart." Then, another knock sounded the door. Will glanced up at the kitchen clock. 11:50. Lou and Cecil were coming at one and his mom, Sophia, and Martha at three. Who was it now?

"I'll see who that is," Nico piped up, walking to the door. "Who is it?"

"Um…It's…It's Drew. Drew Tanaka."

* * *

"Why, man? Why?"

Sitting in behind that glass, Luke wanted to punch his so-called "friend," Ethan Nakamura. He had a rough few days of regret, contemplation, fear, and hatred. Remorse filled him again and again when he saw a brief flash of golden locks and blue eyes. He wished he could have finished him off that…that freak. What the hell were those tendril things that trapped him? What the hell was the boy that they came from?

Although he tried to push it deep down to the dark of his emotions, he knew he was scared. Scared of those damn boys. Scared of those freaking tendrils. Scared of what lied ahead. He was being charged as an adult, being eighteen. After all, he was held back a couple times. He didn't feel like an adult though. He felt like a nothing. He had always been one, he supposed.

He hated the world in those days. Hated what it made him. Hated what it did to him. Cursing the world everyday had become a norm for him. Luke always knew that the world or whatever higher being that existed hated him, so why not hate it right back? He hated what the world had. It had joy, laughter, light. Why didn't it spare a drop, a morsel for him?

He thought about his actions, contemplating on whether he should've done what he did. Whether it was all worth it. Maybe one day well into his adulthood, he would look back upon the lowest of his lows- when he tried to murder someone-, but now, all he could think was of why he couldn't finish killing that damn boy. Why he couldn't seek his revenge.

"Because of pride." Ethan leaned back in the chair, his muffled sigh only slightly heard.

"You threw away everything. You won't even be able to do half the things you could've if you didn't do this." Luke leaned forward in his chair.

"And I regret only one thing. Not being able to finish the job I set out to do." Standing up and storming out the door, Ethan flipped Luke off, calling something that would ring in Luke's head for days, for months.

"Whatever, Luke. Now, because of what you've done, you're truly alone."

_Alone._

Luke watched until Ethan was gone from view to finally begin breaking down in tearless sobs of heartache and was dragged away back to his cold, dark cell to sit and think like he had before. Alone.

* * *

Nico glowered at her, his eyes trying to drag her down to the pits of Tartarus with only a glare. He wouldn't lie when he said he hated her a small bit. She helped Luke try to murder Will. Murder. Take him away from the planet. From his family. From him. Making sure to watch her every move, Nico tensed every time she took a sip of her water and bite from her food, waiting for her to attack.

Will…Will didn't know what to do, so he offered her some food and water, thinking that she would be thirsty or hungry from being tracked down by the police. He was right. Drew annihilated her cookies and was on her third cup of water. Pacing around the living room, Will was…was…he honestly didn't know. Relieved but anxious? That was the best way he could put it. Wanting to address the elephant in the room, he burst, exclaiming:

"Drew, why are you here? Do you want something? Where did you go? What even happened?"

Drew looked up with woeful eyes. She looked fearful but determined. Like she needed to get something off her chest.

"Will, I-I'm sorry- just hear me out, Nico. I was a complete and total liar. I mean, I betrayed you, but Will, I had to save my family. My mom, my dad, my sister. She's only in middle school. She doesn't deserve to die. None of them do, but that doesn't mean you deserve to. I'll be turning myself in today. My parents will be there. I just needed to stop by and tell you everything." Will looked at her.

"Everything? There's more?"

"There's so much more." Will plopped himself down on the couch, grabbing Nico's hand for emotional support and inciting a faint blush to Nico, who nevertheless squeezed it right back.

"I'll start from when I met him."

_Drew walked into the school, dressed up in a modest school dress- boring red and white plaid. She was a good girl, always doing whatever her parents told her. That is, till she met _him. _Luke Castellan, the bully of the school, a playboy on the field and off. He was one of the most popular jocks but one of the most hated. _

_ Walking to her locker, she was interrupted by the one-and-only Luke. Drew had never been scared of jocks or popular kids, making her a target on Luke's radar. He knew under that goody two shoes act, Drew could be actually not a loser. I mean, he always thought she was hot despite her Asian-ness. _**(A/N I 100000000000% do not think this. It is just adding to Luke's racist attitude. Please don't think I actually believe what I am writing. Just a disclaimer!)**

_"Drew, right?" Drew looked him directly in the eye. He was impressed. Nobody ever looked him in the eye. _

_ "Yeah. And who are you?" Now she was pushing it a bit, but he let it slide. _

_ "Luke." Drew nodded._

_ "So, can I go?" Luke smirked at her, sliding to the side of the hallway. _

_ "As you wish." Drew just shuffled to the classroom, rolling her eyes at the weird actions of Luke and forgetting what happened in an instant. After class, Drew was greeted by someone she thought she would never see again. Luke. She looked up at him curiously. _

_ "Do you need something?" _

_ "No. Can't I chill with someone after class?" Chill? Drew was not one to "chill." _

_ "Well, you can find someone else." She started walking away, not realizing this just made Luke even more intrigued. He had never gotten this reaction. Usually, girls threw themselves at him, but this one didn't. He would have to hunt for this one. _

_ And, so, the next day and the day after that, Luke continued trying to capture Drew. That's right, capture. This was about pride. He needed to prove that he could get some girl. He could get any girl he wanted, so he wooed her, showing her how generous, chivalrous, and kind he was. Opening the door for her, waiting for her outside of the class until finally, she caved. Luke had captured his prey. _

_ Drew didn't know that she was "turning." She didn't even realize she slowly ditched the schoolgirl dress, long pants, and modest clothing. Slowly, she hung out with Luke and his gang. She had become his…his…. she didn't know, but whatever it was, Drew was happier. Or at least she thought she was. She didn't realize her expectations for herself rose. All her thoughts were clouded by _him_. She had worn shorter clothing, showed more skin, because of him, because he asked. She was uncomfortable. _

_ Luke had made her do things that weren't her. He made her seduce boys. She didn't want to do that, but he had gotten forceful, yelling at her if she didn't do his bidding, so she did. Drew had grown scared. No. She was terrified. He had threatened her family, saying he'll break in and burn their house down. If she dared tell anyone what was happening, Luke wouldn't hesitate. _

_ Drew wasn't happier. She wasn't even happy once with him in the two years that were frien- no. In the two years they had talked. She was scared. She was hurt. She was uncomfortable. She wasn't happy. She was a shadow. A shadow of who she used to be. Pretending to be Drew Tanaka when she didn't even know who that was. _

"Drew, I…I don't know what to say." Will had moved over to her, rubbing her back when she broke down in tears as she told the story. Her story. Nico had even let go of his hate. There was always two sides to a story. Know both sides before you make a rash decision.

"We can take this to court. You won't be charged, probably. His trial is in a week, right? You're supposed to be there. We'll take all of this to them. They can help," Nico said. Drew looked up at the two of them, tears glistening in her eyes.

"W-why are you being so nice to me? I almost got you killed. Will, Nico, you should hate me." Will just smiled at her.

"If I was in your position, I don't even know what I would do. I'd think I'd do what you did." Drew just laughed.

"You never cease to amaze me." Nico looked at her.

"Where are you gonna go, Drew? We want you to be safe. You should just stay here in the meantime." Drew shook her head.

"No. I need to turn myself in. I owe it to you. Hell, I owe it to everyone. I owe it to myself." Will and Nico nodded. She needed to redeem herself in a way.

"Language, but do you want us to walk you over to the station?"

"No. No, I need to do this myself." Will looked at her hesitantly, but he knew he couldn't change her mind. Standing up, she said, "I have to go, but I need to see my family first. I have to tell them what's happening. They're probably so worried."

"Be careful. Just remember…you're not alone. You have friends. Me, Nico, everyone. I don't blame you, Drew." Both boys stood up and led Drew to the door.

"I-I know that I was angry at you. Well, more than angry. Damn it, I hated you a bit, but there were two sides to this. You're the victim just as much as Will. Luke…he threatened you. Threatened your family. Now, I do hold grudges. It's problematic, obviously. I…I don't know when I'll be able to forgive you, to accept your guilt, but right now, it's still fresh. Like a wound. It takes time to heal, but it does, even if it leaves a scar. Just remember, that doesn't mean we're not friends. We are. You are my friend. And I hope I'm yours." Drew knew Nico didn't like hugs, conveying her emotions through words.

"I know what I did was screwed up. Really screwed up. I tried to murder somebody- or at least help someone murder Will. Who does that? I get that you can't forgive me yet. I wouldn't even be able to talk to me let alone forgive me. I am your friend. I really want to be. I don't even deserve to be, but somehow, someway, I am. And I'm forever grateful for that." Nico smiled at her, knowing that he was going to try as hard as he can to forgive her. He saw Will, shifting from foot to boot.

"Drew, I won't lie to you. I…I don't even fully forgive you. I don't. I don't even know if I'll even fully, 100% forgive you. It's just so hard. I can't get those images out of my head. They just stay there, lurking. I do want to be your friend, Drew. Hang out with you, talk with you, all of that, but it's too soon. All those memories are too recent, too fresh. It'll have to wait for now. I'm sorry."

"Don't apologize. I…I betrayed you. Betrayal needs time to heal, so I'll wait." Will gently pulled her in for a hug. He needed one as much as her.

"I'll get going now. See you guys…well…hopefully soon." Both watched as she walked down the hallway, disappearing from sight as she turned a corner. Will let out a shuddering breathe, laughing a bit.

"Well, today is certainly an eventful day." Nico laughed, poking him and inciting a fluttering feeling in Will.

"Solace, every day with _you_ is eventful."

"Well, what do you want to do to pass the t-"

"WILL, WHO THE HELL DID YOU LET IN HERE?" Will and Nico turned around to reveal a furious Lou and a snickering Cecil.

"What are you guys doing here?" Lou glared at him.

"It's like 1:10, dumbass."

"Language!" Lou hardened her glare.

"Screw your goddamn "language." Who did you let in here?" Will stiffened, knowing if he told, he'd be killed, resurrected, and killed again. Nico saw this, piping up.

"Well, he let me in. And Travis. We both came, but he had to meet Katie for something, I think." Lou softened her gaze.

"Oh. That makes sense. Well, Mom told me to get you to the cast thing. It got moved to 2:45, so they'll be a bit late. The group's gonna meet us there. Is Nico coming?"

"Yeah, he is…right?" Nico looked up at Will.

"Yeah. I am."

* * *

"Just break open the damn cast, Doc! We're dying over here," Leo whined, already fidgeting after the "unbearable" and "excruciating" thirty minutes they were there.

"You better watch your tongue," Will said, glaring. "There will be no cussing at my cast removal." Will had already had all the x-rays, surveys, and more to finally get the dang cast and boot off of him. He was absolutely sick of this.

His friends had all been there when he, Nico, Lou, Cecil, and the moms arrived. Seriously, they took this way too seriously. Sure, it was exciting but not "lie that it's his birthday to _Chili's_ to get a free lava cake" exciting. They had booked a freaking restaurant party thing for Pete's sake.

"Well, the nurse will be here in a few minutes with a saw. I see you guys take this very seriously," the doctor chuckled. "I've never seen so many people in all my years of being an orthopedist."

"You hear that, guys? No one is as crazy and extra as us!" Percy whooped. Will rolled his eyes. Now, Percy didn't say the correct thing the majority of the time, but this was a very rare exception.

"You're right about that, Kelp Head," Thalia said.

"Seriously, stop calling me 'Kelp Head.' It's just a rip-off of 'Seaweed Brain.'"

"First off, it's not a rip-off. It's Seaweed Brain 2.0. Second, I'll stop calling you 'Kelp Head' when you stop calling me 'Pinecone Face.' It was just a damn tree!" Thalia replied, ignoring the angry "language!" they got from Will.

"I'll stop calling you 'Pinecone Face' when you stop calling me 'Kelp Head,' Pinecone Face!"

"I'm not stopping first!"

"Well, neither am I, Pin-"

"OH SHUSH, PEOPLE. THIS IS SUPPOSED TO BE A JOYOUS OCCASION," Hazel, who was usually so polite and cordial, exclaimed, surprising everyone. "I'm sorry. It was getting too sour, and I don't want any negative energy." The doctor, looking a bit frazzled herself, looked over at Will.

"I'll…uh…go and get the nurse real quick. The first weeks are gonna be kinda hard to move your arm and leg around, but, since you're a runner, you should be able to adjust pretty quickly. I would start out with about half a mile the first day back and increase by a fourth each day till you reach the limit where you stop. Oh, and don't over exert the leg and arm too much unless you wanna wind up in a cast again. Other than that, you're all clear."

"Sure. Thank you, Dr. Iré. It'll be great not to hobble everywhere," Will laughed. She smiled back at him.

"No problem, Will," she responded as she slipped out of the room. As soon as she left, conversation erupted in the room between everyone. Will considered himself an extrovert, but it was nice looking around and people-watching for a bit. He spotted Annabeth, Piper, and Hazel all looking at Nico and smiling profusely. Why? That's a great question that he did not know the answer to.

"What are you guys talking about?" All three of them froze. Piper looked glanced at Nico before avoiding Will's eyes.

"Um. Well- you see…uh…Screw it, Annabeth?"

"We are observing everyone's reactions to the momentous occasion and decided to start off with Nico." Will nodded, analyzing her response aloud.

"Either a very weird thing to do- which I couldn't question as it would be like you to do that- or just people-watching. Although it is a bit suspicious you roped Piper and Hazel into it. Very vague answer but not enough to be too question bringing. No way to background check or verify. You were talking in hushed tones, so the people around you wouldn't have heard. Wow, Annabeth. This one may be the one I caught onto the most. I even got one suspicious thing." Annabeth chuckled.

"What ever do you mean?" Will shook his head.

"I don't even know. Well, I would know if you told me the truth." Annabeth shrugged.

"I did. What else is there to tell?"

"Honestly, I'm either going crazy or you people already are."

Just then, another knock sounded the room, a muffled voice saying:

"Hi, it's Nurse Hygieia. Could I come in?"

"Sure. We're all ready." The nurse walked in, smiling widely. She held a small rotating, circular saw, but she didn't radiate that maniac, "I'm gonna kill you with this" vibe, so they all assumed they were safe.

"So I guess we can just get right in to it if you've been given all the proper paperwork for incase anything goes wrong- which that has a 2% of. It's not very likely." Will nodded.

"Yep. Our doctor told us everything."

"Good. Could I start?"

"Sure thing." All Will's friends gathered close, huddling together. Soon, the dull sound of whirring filled the room.

"Just a heads up, this is gonna take about 10 minutes, so I'll call you guys over when it's just getting ready to pop off."

"Thank you, ma'am," Percy said as the rest of the friends smiled in appreciation. Will decided to make some small talk since it was a slightly awkward position that he was in.

"How long have you been a nurse?"

"This is my 2nd year, so I'm kind of a noob, but medical practice runs in my family. My name actually is actually the Greek goddess of medicine, so there's that. My dad has always been into the myths. In fact, his name is Apollo, one of the main Greek gods." Will tensed up slightly. He couldn't be the same person. It couldn't be…right?

"Just out of curiosity, does your dad look like Apollo, the god?"

"Well, he kinda looks like you actually. Blonde hair, blue eyes. Heck, you guys could be related." Will forgot how to breath. He saw spots in his vision. How could this be? It couldn't be happening. No. No. But is was.

"I think we're brother and sister." That's when everyone turned as the sound of constant whirring stopped, the saw on the floor.

"You're Will?"

* * *

I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry. Guys, I haven't updated in so long. I'm sorry. It is not my best work, I have to say, but I wanted to give you guys something. This chapter is not only called "Apologies" for Nico and Drew's, but mine also. It's also for me being grateful. Thank you, people, for being so nice in the reviews. There's just so much adjustment going on.

I am having some personal problems right now, but honestly, Fanfiction is almost a way of forgetting about it. Just getting lost in words is amazing. Again, thank you so much for taking the time to read this story and love for all you guys. Stay golden!

-EscapingWriter


	10. Apollo

Hey, guys. I'm back with another chapter! I'm so so so sorry that this took this long. I honestly was not expecting it to. There will be a message in the outro about my updating habits, but for now, on with the chapter...

* * *

Chapter 10- "You."

* * *

"You're Will?"

No. No. No, this was not happening. Nope. Absolutely not. There's no way that his fath- Apollo can just slither back into his life and bring even more siblings. He did not need another Lee and Michael situation. No. He refused to accept this.

He couldn't think straight (though did he ever really…?). His mind was foggy. He spent his whole life accepting that his da- Apollo could go rot in Tartarus. He had grown to never even want to think of Apollo. Why was this affecting him? He already had accepted never having a father. Barely registering his mom's worried voice, he stared blankly at the wall.

"Excuse me? What's going on?"

A war raged. One side of him screamed that this was all fake. It was all a dream. Just pinch yourself and wake up. Wake up, Will. Damn it, wake up. The other side whispered in his mind, somehow louder than the yells. It told him that this was reality. A screwed up one but a reality.

"I-I'm not sure. I mean, this is Will. Wait…you must be Naomi. Naomi Solace. I'm Hygieia. Well, I guess you already knew that. Um…I'm your son's half-sister? I-I don't know."

What was happening? He was faintly aware of his friends slowly huddling by his side, Piper and Annabeth gently rubbing his back. Will didn't know what to do. He didn't expect to see a sister he didn't even know he had today. He was just excited to get this cast off. Was it on? He couldn't register anything anymore. Well, he could register one thing.

Shock. A thousand lightning bolts spewed across his mind, numbingly electrifying. He couldn't think straight. What was happening? The light was blinding in his head. What was going on? A voice shook him out of his state

"Will?" He looked up warily, meeting the gaze of his half-sister. She looked uneasy. Uncomfortable. Maybe even a bit sad. "I guess we're siblings."

"Where…where's Apollo?" As soon as those words tumbled out of his muddled mind, a dam broke, unleashing a torrent of emotion. "Does he even know about me? About Lee and Michael? Does he even realize what he's done? How many families does he even have? How many did he abandon?" With every word, Will could feel his anger rising. He felt all the pent-up frustration that simmered inside. Hygieia looked away.

"He's at my childhood house. He's…he's not doing too well. He learned a while ago about Lee and Michael. Dad was never around much when we were younger. He was always somewhere around the country. When I was around eighteen, we found out. My mom, brother, and I…we were a bit broken to say the least. About 6 months ago, we found a letter from years ago. It was Lee and Michael's mom. She told us they died. Dad…dad just lost it. He had gotten Lee and Michael's mom pregnant. Then, he got your mom pregnant. After we found that letter, he broke down. He fessed up.. I…I can't see him right now. No one in our family can." Will saw red. He was angry. No. He was beyond angry.

"So, he proposed to my mom while he was married to one woman and had impregnated another lady, and he didn't have the audacity to come by and check every once in a while?" Hygieia grabbed his hands, staring into his eyes.

"Will, I'm not asking for you to forgive him. I don't even think I can. When I learned, I was out of that house. My mom, brother, and I moved to another house entirely. Now, he's alone. And…and I don't even want you to meet the man. All I want to ask is…is if you could meet my family and somehow understand this mess." Will glanced at his family. He saw his mom, staring at him with encouraging eyes, almost giving him her blessing to see them.

"Could…Could you give me a minute? I'm just…processing everything?"

"Sure. You take as long as you want."

Naomi shot Hygieia a smile as she left the room, walking closer to Will. All his friends were shooting glances at each other, wondering what in the world just happened, what was happening.

"Will, you don't have to do this, but if you want to see what's going on, you can. It's okay with me. Your father….he left me in a dark time, and I don't know if I can forgive him or even look at him, but if you want to see him, you can. It's all up to you. Or you can just meet Hygieia's family." Will looked up at his mom. He already knew he was absolutely not ready to meet his father. It was too hard, and he knew deep down his emotions would get the better of him.

Looking at the door, he could almost see Hygieia's worried face, hoping that he would give her a chance, and he knew inside he would. Peering around the room, he saw the encouraging looks of his family's faces. He knew what he had to do.

"I…I want to meet her family. I want answers. This is all so confusing, and I just want to make sense of it all. And help their family make sense of it." Naomi let out a sigh of relief, knowing that if her son had said he wouldn't have gone, he would have regretted it.

"I'll go get her."

* * *

"Oh, Will! Thank you, thank you, thank you. My mom and brother…they'll love you. I can feel it. Oh, this is great," Hygieia squealed, bouncing around the room. Will could already tell she was going to be family.

"Not to be a disturber of the happiness, but what about the rest of Will's cast?" Leo pointed out. Will glanced at his encased arm.

"Oh, right. I'll get on that," Hygieia responded, a slight blush coating her cheeks. After five minutes of sawing, Hygieia popped his cast off.

"Voila! The cast is now off! Just make sure to do your exercises every day, wear your brace, and you should be set in two weeks. As for your boot, you can go ahead and take it off. Make sure to do the exercises, and you should be able to do whatever in two weeks. I know you're a runner, so don't overdo your muscles. Just take it slowly. Start at one mile and go up another every week."

"Thank you. I'm…I'm excited to meet your family. They seem great," Will responded.

"Oh, Will. You have no idea how much it means to year you say that. I'll be sure to tell them of your visit. They're gonna be so happy. We'll arrange a time and place later." After glancing at her watch, Hygieia pulled Will in for a hug, startling him ever so slightly.

"I hope that this is okay. I'm a hugger." Will wrapped his arms around her.

"So am I." Hygieia pulled back.

"I've really got to go now, but I'll see you later, Ms. Solace and Will." Naomi smiled at her.

"We're family. Call me Aunt Naomi. I predict we'll be seeing a lot of each other in the coming years. We would love to welcome you to the family."

"Thank you, Ms. So- Aunt Naomi. That means a lot. I'll see you guys soon." Slipping out of the room, Hygieia left. Lou signed and said:

"Well, that was a doozy, wasn't it?" Cecil snorted.

"To say the least."

* * *

"So…That just happened," Jason said, flopping on the living room couch. The gang all huddled together in Will's apartment, spread all about the room. Piper was lounging with Jason on the couch. Annabeth was playing with her hair while Percy played with hers. Thalia and Hazel both plopped on the floor, laying down on the carpet. Calypso was helping Lou and Cecil get snacks. Frank and Leo were flipping through an old scrapbook, Leo snickering at pictures while Frank held his laughter in. Will was sitting on the couch, trying to act nonchalant and failing. Nico was just watching everyone do their own thing.

"You okay, Will? You look tense," Annabeth asked. "It's a lot to take in."

"I mean, yeah, I guess. Who wouldn't be chill after discovering their father had kids with two other women while being married to their mother?"

"Someone named 'Leo Valdez.' Oh, and a few other people. Maybe people called…I don't know… 'Everyone in the entire world?'" Leo piped up.

"I think what Leo's trying to convey," Calypso said, smacking Leo slightly. "is that it's okay not to be fully adjusted and comfortable with this whole situation right now. I doubt anyone here would be."

Will paused for a second. He wasn't adjusted. He needed time. He needed questions answered. He needed a way to understand everything. Thank goodness he was going to have some time to answer with Hygieia. Sure, his father could answer then better, but no way in heck is he going there now. He wasn't ready.

"Will, it's okay to not be ready. It's okay to not have to accept everything in a rush," Lou added, coming in with some bowls of chips and fruit.

"Thanks, guys. It's just a crap ton of stress."

"Speaking of stress," Thalia chimed. "are you going to do PE in school, Will?" He shrugged.

"I mean, I can do archery now with this cast off, so why not? I'll probably do it tomorrow. Why?" Thalia chuckled.

"Coach Artemis is going to kill you." Will paled. He knew that something would go wrong. Groaning, he buried his head in a pillow.

"Is she really that bad?" Percy asked. Will glared at him.

"'Is she really that bad?' Yes, Percy. She's absolutely terrifying, and for some reason, she hates all males. Especially those who miss practice and haven't been practicing. So I'm screwed."

"Aw, poor Will. How upsetting and all that. You'll do great, as we all know. Now, what movie do we watch? Big Hero 6, Inside Out, or Frozen?" Cecil asked, holding up three CDs.

After having a heated discussion over whether to watch Frozen or Big Hero 6 **(A/N sorry to all you Inside Out fans, but we both know Frozen and Big Hero Six trumps it. *whispers* please don't attack me)**, they all sat back and relaxed as the opening credits of Big Hero 6 rolled onto the screen. Will barely even remembered what in the world he was worried about. Something about school? He didn't care. All that he registered was the movie in front of him and the reactions around him. Specifically, Nico's.

Will saw the curiosity in Nico's eyes when Baymax was being created. He saw the sadness when Hiro's brother died, almost connecting in a sense with him. Will almost wanted to turn off the movie because of the glossy look in Nico's eyes. He saw the anger when it was revealed that the true villain was a trusted one. He almost shivered when Nico had that look in his eyes. He saw the bittersweet happiness when Baymax sacrificed himself. He saw the joy when Baymax was brought back in pristine condition with Hiro's skill.

Watching the end credits roll by and Nico slump against the couch, he realized he had basically stared at Nico the entire time of the movie. He even noted the change in mood and body language. How no one had noticed Will's staring and stalkerish behavior was beyond him.

_Very inconspicuous, Solace. Good on you. _Will berated in his mind. To distract himself from what he had just done, Will took the disc out and asked:

"So how did you guys like the movie?" A torrent of shouts answered.

"HOW COULD THEY DO THAT TO TADASHI?"

"Why can't everyone have a Baymax?"

"I WAS LITERALLY SOBBING THE WHOLE TIME."

"I petition for this to go on Netflix."

"SCREW YOU, CALLAGAN!"

Lou, Cecil, and Will all nodded at each other. This was about where they were mentally after watching the movie. They could be surprised if everyone was doing any better. Will snuck a glance at Nico, who was talking to Thalia, the only other remotely sane person there, about the movie, presumably.

"Fair, honestly," Lou said. "But putting aside mental sanity after this movie, who wants some dinner?"

"Sounds fun, but I gotta get going," Percy said, getting up. Along with Percy, Jason, Annabeth, Piper, Leo, Calypso, Frank, and Hazel had to go. Saying their goodbyes, all of them were gone.

"And then there were five," Thalia said. "DUN DUN DUUUUN."

"Terrifying, honestly. Now, who wants some dinner?" Lou asked.

* * *

"So how's school, guys?" Martha asked.

"Hell."

"Language, Thalia!"

"Just speaking my truth, Will." Everyone was seated at the table, eating, joking, and laughing. Nico looked around at it all. In some ways, he was jealous. He felt it boiling inside him, but it never won. He was too happy. And that's more than he could've ever asked for. He spent so long in the shadows, battling with himself. Terrified. Scared. Angry. Now…now it was different.

"Nico? Niiico? Niiiiiiiico?" Will shook a hand in front of his face till the boy was struck out of his stupor. "You good?"

"Oh! Yeah, I'm good." Will threw him a suspicious look but dropped it anyway. Nico looked down at his plate, blushing slightly. He was supposed to be the cool and mysterious one, dammit. This boy is the death of him.

"So Will, you're gonna do archery tomorrow?" Will's gaze flitted over to Sophia.

"Yeah. Coach Artemis is gonna kill me."

"Well won't she understand?" Thalia and Will started cracking up, tears welling their face.

"Coach Artemis? Understand? Good one, Soph," Will responded. Naomi shook her head.

"She can't be that bad, guys." Will and Thalia stared at her.

"Oh yes, yes she is." A couple hours passed before Naomi, Martha, and Sophia decided that everyone should return back to their house. It was already almost 10. Thalia and Nico headed to the door, both of them heading to the cabins back at school. Sometimes Thalia and Jason's dad had long business trips and couldn't be at the house, so they just stayed at the school.

"You guys sure you don't want my mom to drop you off?" Thalia rolled her eyes.

"Yes, Will. For the hundredth time, we'll be fine. Now, shoo." Will narrowed his eyes at her but let her go. He looked right at Nico.

"See you later, Death Boy," he said, winking. Winking. _Winking. __**Winking. **_Nico felt fire within him try to break free, but he kept it down and half-heartedly glared.

"I will murder you in your sleep, Solace."

"Of course, Sunshine." Nico knew if he just so looked into those damn blue eyes that made his heart do flips, he would become a human tomato. Instead, he turned on his heel and started walking down the hallway, Will laughing underneath his breath. He was just too easy to tease sometimes. Glancing back a final time, he saw Thalia catching up with Nico.

* * *

"Nico! How could you abandon me like that?! I'm _hurt. _But seriously, what was that about?" Nico looked down.

"Nothing! Just had to get outta there I guess." Thalia smirked. Oh, this just solidified what she thought was true. That day in PE when Will said he had a crush on Nico. And now this. Oh yes. Oh, _hell _yes. These two are blind.

"Looks like someone has a crush, hm?" Nico blushed a fiery red.

"N-no. Shut up." Thalia smirked.

"Lie all you want, di Angelo. I'll be your wing woman." Nico groaned. What in the heck did this turn into? He feigned a look of disgust.

"I do not have a crush on Will."

"Oh, but you do, you little love bird. I have plans. LOTS of plans." Nico groaned. It was too late to go back. Thalia knew for sure. He was lying to himself when he thought he could cover up the cafeteria incident. Sighing, he gave up.

"Ok, fine. I have a crush on Solace. But you can't tell him!" Thalia snorted.

"I wouldn't. I'm mean, not evil. Well, maybe a bit evil." Nico looked at her dead in the eyes.

"But seriously, Thalia. You can't tell him. I would spontaneously combust."

"Chill. I won't say anything. Well, other than to our friends because they obviously already know. I mean, you aren't exactly inconspicuous." Nico looked away, blushing because he knew that was oh so true.

"Oh whatever. Let's just get back to the cabins." The whole way back, Thalia's teasing rang through the air- along with Nico's cursing, of course.

* * *

"I'm nervous. Like really freaking nervous." It had been 3 weeks since Will's doctor's appointment, and Hygieia asked him to meet her family. "What if I screw it all up? What if they hate me? What if I make everything awkward?"

"Will, no one's gonna hate you. Chill," Cecil said. "They're gonna love you. Everyone always does, Will. You'll be fine."

"Cecil's right, for once. You'll be okay," Lou agreed, Cecil smacking her arm.

"Yeah, yeah. You're right. It'll be okay. Okay. Okay. I'm going in. I'm gonna go in and meet them. I'm gonna knock on the door- or maybe they have a doorbell. You know, doorbells can be annoying. Maybe they don't have one. And why do they call it a doorbell? Like sometimes it's not a bell. It's a ding. It should be called a doordi-"

"SOLACE! Stop rambling, and chill. You'll be okay. We'll all be right outside," Nico said, grabbing a hold of the nervous boy. Will looked around at all his family cheering him on. Everyone was there: His mom, Sophia, Martha, Percy, Annabeth, Jason, Piper, Frank, Hazel, Leo, Calypso, Cecil, Lou, Thalia, and Nico. They were all there for him. He could do this.

"You're right. I'll be fine. I'll just do my best." Will gave his family a quick, nervous grin and knocked on the door. A bright, smiling Hygieia opened the door and led Will inside.

"Welcome! We've been looking forward to having you. Excuse the slight mess of our house, and I'll take you right this way to our living room." Hygieia's brother, Will assumed, was almost a spitting image of Hygieia herself. Both had caramel brown hair, Hygieia's reaching to her mid-back. Their striking blue eyes were the exact same shade of cool, icy blue, their tan skin only bringing out how startling their eyes were.

The lady sitting next to Hygieia's brother also had brown hair and tan skin, but she had brown eyes. She looked to be in her 50s or 60s, having a warm and inviting aura around her. But there was also a sadness that darkened her eyes, that made her seem hurt, and Will had an idea who was behind that sadness.

"Mom, Lark, this is Will. Will, this is my brother, Lark, and my mom." Both of them stood up and smiled at Will. Hygieia nudged her brother forward, making him jump a little.

"Oh! Hi. I'm, uh, Lark, like Hygieia said. I'm 28. I'm a musician. My hobbies are playing the guitar, singing, and….I really like drawing, even though I'm not very good."

"Wow….um….that's great. I like singing, too, but I'm not very good. You sound like a….stand up guy, Lark," Will responded. At this point, Hygieia and Lark's mom rolled her eyes.

"My god, Lark. Have you never spoken to a human being before? Way to make him awkward. Now, Will, I'm so sorry that he put you through that torture. Come, sit down with us. We'll all get to know each other better and answer some of your questions."

Guiding Will to the spot to her right, she continued saying, "I'm Violeta. You don't have to call me ma'am or anything like that. Makes me feel older than I already am."

"Well, you don't look a day over 30," Will said.

"Oh, you know how to make a girl smile, don't you? I haven't heard a compliment in ages- and yes, that's _clearly _directed at my children." Hygieia blushed, mumbling an apology, while Lark looked away sheepishly.

"Hehehe...Sorry about that. Anyway, let's just get to know each other first, and then we can answer questions," Hygieia suggested.

"I'd love to," Will responded.

* * *

Hours passed, and Will didn't even notice. He absolutely adored Violeta, Lark, and Hygieia. He learned that the two siblings were actually twins, and Violeta was a twin herself. Lark was a musician and was the songwriter for a lot of record labels. Hygieia was a nurse practitioner student. Violeta was actually a surgeon, but she had retired early because of a hand injury.

Amidst all the laughter, there was always a certain elephant in the room that no one addressed but was slowly suffocating all of them. Apollo. Apollo was a looming name that weighted everybody's shoulders that no one wanted to address, but they knew they had to at some point. Will wanted to know. And he was tired of this elephant weighing him down.

"I….I have a question regarding my father." Violeta looked at him with comforting eyes.

"Go ahead, hun."

"I know that Apollo is in your old house, but...Does he ever visit? Do you ever visit him? Does he even still work? Does he have another family?"

"He never visits, and we don't visit him. The last time we actually saw him was a little over a year ago when Hygieia and Lark ran into him at the grocery store. He didn't say anything though. And, yes, he works. He still has to make a living after all. And as far as I know, no, he doesn't have another family."

"Oh. What does he do?"

"He's a doctor. I think he actually works at the same hospital chain Hygieia does, but it's a big one, so they never run into eacho-" A muffled voice from outside screamed.

"OH MY GOD WHO THE HELL ARE YOU?!" Leo?

"PLEASE! PLEASE YOU HAVE TO LET ME IN!" Who was that? Will had no idea. He started to rush out of the room.

"NOT UNTIL YOU TELL US WHO THE HELL YOU ARE!" Jason? He ran to the door.

"I'm begging you. I have to see my family." Seriously, who was that? Almost there...

"Guys, what's going on?!" Mom? The door flew open.

"Naomi...you have to help me! PLEASE!" Will had no idea who that was. All he saw was a messy blond head. Who was that, and why were they holding mom? She looked surprised.

"No...No….Get...GET AWAY FROM ME! GET THE HECK OFF OF ME, YOU SON OF A-"

"Mom?" Everyone stopped. Naomi kicked the guy off of her and plopped down on the ground. The man looked up. He had messy blond hair that looked like he hadn't washed it in weeks. His blue eyes that looked like they used to be full of life were deflated and dull. His tan complexion somehow looked pale, like he didn't have enough energy. Why...why did he look so familiar?

"Will! Will, my boy. Come here. I'm here now! You must be so happy!"

Oh….

It clicked.

Will expected more. A lot more. Hadn't he been dreaming about this for years? Well, a lot of them were he had thought about this day. A lot. This was majorly underwhelming.

"Will! Will, I'm here. Dad's here. Will?"

There he was, in all his glory.

"Apollo."

* * *

For all of you that wanted to see my little note at the bottom of this chapter, here it is. I'm so so so so sorry that I haven't posted in forever. I'm going to try to post more regularly because I have a lot of free time.

As everyone reading this probably knows, there is a worldwide pandemic going on. I hope that everyone in their respective locations is safe and healthy. Please, please, please, follow the rules and regulations that CDC and the World Health Organization are saying to do. Wash your hands, social distance, and don't hoard. Hospitals, medical organizations, and other places need supplies. My parents are in the health care industry, and they're running out masks!

You can always stay connected with friends and family via Zoom, texts, emails, calling, etc.

That's it for the PSA, and I promise I will have a lot more free time to update this story. That's it for now, peoples! See ya next time!

-EscapingWriter


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